As a chef who has seen his fair share of kitchen nightmares, Gordon Ramsay shares why the soup of the day is often one of the dodgier picks on the menu
Multi-Michelin-starred celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has worked behind the scenes in many hellish kitchens – which is why he always avoids ordering this popular restaurant dish. Based on his extensive experience working with eateries worldwide, the restauranteur claimed that the one dish people should avoid ordering is the soup of the day.
But what is the reason for staying away from this seemingly innocuous meal? In a resurfaced interview with Town and Country, Ramsay revealed that restaurants often use old ingredients to advertise the meal as a special. He advised: “Ask what yesterday’s soup du jour was before today’s special. It may be the case that it’s the soup du month.” In the same interview, he added that when searching for the best item on the menu, he usually turns to the waiters and waitresses for their recommendations. “It really depends on the restaurants, but servers tend to taste most of the dishes on the menu and can give you insight to what the chef has added or what locals love,” he said. “Being on the road, I’ve gotten a lot of great recommendations from servers.”
The 58-year-old chef is known for handing out unusual cooking and dietary advice, such as when he revealed his one weird (and painful) trick to losing weight – despite constantly being surrounded by delicious food. Given his newfound love for endurance training and exercise, Gordon is also careful about what he eats. In order to have the energy to complete marathons and Iron Mans, the culinary star carefully curates his own menu to give him optimal nutrition. However, he divulged that his daily eating habits which don’t involve fancy fine-dining.
Despite his more aggressive TV persona where he has often caused controversy for his abrasive language and creatively cruel insults, he is a dedicated father and family man. Recently, Adam Peaty, a gold-winning Olympic swimmer who is currently dating Gordon’s daughter, praised the famous chef for his unflinching support throughout his struggles with mental health issues and alcohol. On the High-Performance podcast, hosted by Jake Humphrey, the Olympian described Gordon as “down to earth” and a “blessing for me to look up to”.
He also commended the chef’s work ability to balance his hectic lifestyle: “In this last year or so, seeing how he performs, the balance he has to create in his life with high performance, family life and love, his children, and his wife is incredible.”