Cauchemar en cuisine : Avec Gordon Ramsay (version U.K)

This possibly the best , most watchable reality series that came out of Britain at the turn of the century . It came late to the party but actually brought a lot to television and one that has a high rewatchability . The premise is simple: a restaurant business is failing and Gordon Ramsay arrives as a troubleshooter and get the business back on its feet

I have some professional kitchen experience myself and the three golden rules to a successful kitchen are

1 ) Team work

2 ) Communication

3 ) No skiving

Obey these three golden rules and things should work out . Watching the series it becomes very clear that the problems of the failing business are often caused by a lack of team work and communication and an excess of skiving or lassie faire attitude by the management who leave everything to the head chef who is as passionate as a week old rice pudding

The very first episode sums this up with Tim a head chef who is 21 years old and in charge of Bonaparte's restaurant . " He's either a great chef or he's a bullsh*tter " and you don't need multiple choice to find out the answer . As someone who has worked in a kitchen I was actually shocked at the state of the kitchen with mouldy food clogging up the fridges

" What do you do with mouldy food ? " asks Ramsay

" Throw it in the bin ? "replies Tim nice but dim as if he's asked a question on quantum physics

Long pause from Ramsay " So you're going to put it back in the fridge for two days then throw it out ? Can you see the point I'm making "

Tim starts nodding as the penny finally drops " Yeah yeah "

Ramsay goes out of his way to get the business back on its feet and what the programme does very well is show how much dire straits the owner is in . If the business goes under that's it - they lose everything , their restaurant , their home and possibly their marriage which comes as a shock when Ramsay returns a few months later unannounced only to find things were as bad as they were mainly down to the manager not sacking the head chef and employing competent professionals who have a pride in their work and a loyalty to their employer

There is a danger of the show becoming repetitive but a short season of four or five episodes is probably the most effective length and an angry Ramsay is always good television . Anyone with any military experience will recognise how similar Ramsay is to a sadistic drill instructor carrying out a kit inspection as tries to separate the men from the boys . It's also a superior show to the American spin off as the focus is very much on Ramsay rather than the slightly larger than life American managers

Really outdid themselves with the UK version. Don't even bother with the American KN, loses all semblance of personality and charm the UK version has. It's so personal and stylistic, Gordon really cares about the restaurants he helps instead of the US where he practically does all the work to get a restaurant out of the rut.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is without doubt the better of the Kitchen Nightmare versions. It is raw, and focused on the restaurants with of course drama thrown in. However it is not over the top like the US version of the show.

Gordon Ramsay is formidable as he works his way around from restaurant to restaurant trying to help owners get their struggling businesses back on their feet.

This is definitely a show I never tire of and can watch over and over. I am particularly fond of the first season and will on occasion check in to see what restaurants are still in existence from both versions of the show.

If you love Ramsay, love cooking and love drama. Then look no further.

Every, (mostly) episode is the same. We see a restaurant in chaos, Ramsay turns up, orders, some slip arrives as his criticises everything and sends it back.

Then he goes into the kitchen, shouting and swearing at everyone. Looking for dirt, mouldy food etc.

Quite often someone gets fired, he observes a service and the chaos, exasperated by the pressure of him being in the kitchen, one again raising his voice causing more mistakes and anxiety.

He normally then shuts the place down, giving the restaurant a free makeover worth thousands - is that the hidden motive of these restaurants?

It's always the same, simplify the menu as he slaps his palm on his hand, "Simple, beautiful food". I think I've only seen one that he walked away from?

I'm sure he's got into a proper fight and been knocked out, or at least a bloodied nose. Shouting through his hands at owners, he bullies and abuses the owners of failing restaurants before turning into the nice guy, only occasionally being called out like Amy in the bakery

It's an hour of guilty pleasures, but if you have seen one, you have mainly seen them all.

While I do enjoy seeing angry humans completely meltdown, this hideously contrived show is nothing more than a vessel to display what a perfect specimen of an alpha male Gordon Ramsey is, as he coddles pretty waitresses and undermines everyone who has the temerity to assume a position of power.