Gordon Ramsay was fed a rotten meal on Kitchen Nightmares that made him physically sick. The TV chef visited Bonapartes in Silsden, West Yorkshire, in the first episode of the series, which aired in 2004 and is now available to stream on Channel 4.
Head chef served rancid scallops
The kitchen was run by 21-year-old head chef Tim Gray and his colleague Lee. They were struggling to serve more than two tables a night, with the restaurant making barely £200 a week through food sales. Ramsay watched the pair in action and immediately noticed their disorientation and lack of timing.
Tim was given the opportunity to serve Ramsay his signature dish: scallops with black pudding. While it looked 'OK' at first, Ramsay quickly realised something was wrong. After a moment of silence, he held his hand to his mouth and walked outside, where he attempted to vomit.
Ramsay's reaction and warning
"He's going to be sick," Tim chuckled, but soon realised it was serious. Ramsay said in the narration: "He's only gone and given me a rancid scallop." Tim looked worried and asked for a drink, while Lee said: "S***."
Outside, Ramsay asked: "How can you eat that? If you knew they were off, why didn't you say?" Tim claimed he did not know the scallops were off. Ramsay added: "They are f****** minging. Do you not taste that?" Tim admitted: "I do now, yeah, it took a while." Ramsay then vomited a second time.
Tim said: "I know what you mean, I feel sick myself now." After recovering, Ramsay told the cameras: "It's grim. It's f****** grim, and it's out of order." Tim responded angrily: "I didn't realise they were f****** off," before adding: "Though I suppose it's my fault, really." Ramsay warned: "That could kill someone, that's the bottom line."
Aftermath and closure
The restaurant owner decided to close the kitchen at the end of the episode, but it reopened the next day. Tim went to work at a competitor restaurant down the road. Bonapartes has been closed since 2005.
