celebrity chefs

6 times celebrity chefs have caused chaos on TV

These TV stars have all caused controversy in the kitchen!

Deputy Online Editor
June 11, 2020

They may be professionals in the kitchen, however, things don't always go to plan! Over the years, viewers have watched celebrity chefs wreak havoc in the kitchen, whether it's a questionable recipe or creating pure utter mess, these cooking fails have certainly gone down in the history of memorable television. Take a look at some of our favourites below...

MORE: 7 stars who have suffered hilarious cooking fails in lockdown

John Torode

WATCH: John Torode sets kitchen on fire

In April, the MasterChef judge narrowly avoided disaster on This Morning after a tea towel caught on fire in his kitchen when he was teaching Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield how to cook a McDonalds-style breakfast. John was distracted by showing the pair how to cook and so didn't see the blaze behind him, leading Holly and Phil to scream at him that there was a fire to grab his attention. Phil shouted: "Your cooker is on fire! Your tea towel John. Behind you John, you're on fire! Fire John!" Upon noticing, John grabbed the tea towel and threw it into his kitchen sink, dousing the fire. After he safely put out the blaze, the presenters collapsed into giggles as the fire alarm began going off.

READ: 5 beauty rituals Asian women have been doing for generations: From coconut oil to turmeric

Ainsley Harriott

ainsley harriott birthday lorraine© Photo: Rex

Known for his bubbly approach to cooking, the former Ready Steady Cook host has previously received a flurry of complaints for his "finger-licking". In 2007, he was accused of "tampering" with contestants' dishes and "interfering" with the programme's chefs back when he presented the popular teatime show. According to Daily Mail, viewers wrote on BBC's Points of View forum about his approach, with one saying: "Can we have a new presenter for Ready Steady Cook? He [Ainsley] continually interferes with the chefs and... dip[s] his dirty hands into the food that they [the contestants] are preparing. Please get rid of him." However, Aisley still appears to be one of the most loved celebrity chefs on television, fronting shows such as Great British Food Revival, My World Kitchen and more recently, Ainsley’s Mediterranean Cookbook.

Mary Berry

© Photo: BBC

She may have won over a new generation of budding chefs in recent years thanks to her role on the BBC version of The Great British Bake Off, however, Mary left fans reeling after sharing her twist on the traditional Spaghetti Bolognese recipe during an episode of her show Mary Berry Everyday back in 2017. Many had mixed feelings about Mary's addition of two unusual ingredients to her Bolognese sauce: white wine and double cream. While making the sauce, Mary told viewers to add wine, "white or red, whatever you've got to hand - although I really prefer to add white. There's never any left in our household. I might even have to open a bottle especially." She also stopped partway to add cream, saying: "My secret is to make it even richer by adding double cream... it just enriches it."

READ: 8 celebrities open up about their heartbreaking experience with racism

Jamie Oliver

© Photo: Getty Images

The dad-of-five almost upset every single Spaniard in the world by putting chorizo in his paella. In 2016, Jamie shared a recipe with his own twist. "Good Spanish food doesn't get much better than paella. My version combines chicken thighs and chorizo," he tweeted, prompting the chef to be bombarded with several angry messages. "They went medieval on me," Jamie later said on the Graham Norton Show, adding: "By the way, it got so much darker than that. It trended. For weeks! I had death threats and all sorts because of a bit of sausage. Honestly, I was in Canada at the time, and I was talking to the President. We were doing whole things about great things about childhood obesity strategies in Canada because our one fell to pieces, and as I went out the BA lounge they went, 'Oh, you're in the paper today!' And I went brilliant, good solid work, and she went, 'yeah - chorizo. Spanish don't like it.' Whatever I did that month was overtaken by the chorizo." He then added fuel to the fire by quipping: "By the way, just FYI (for your information), it tastes better with chorizo."

The Hairy Bikers

© Photo: BBC

During an episode of Saturday Kitchen in 2017, viewers were left in hysterics after the lovable duo suffered a cooking fail live on TV. They were trying to whip up a Summer Pudding – however, things went horribly wrong when the pudding collapsed. When they tried to remove the cake from the tin – after a few attempts – the sweet treat swiftly turned into a gooey mess on the plate. Despite the disaster, the guest tasters deemed it as "utterly delicious". Yikes!

Gordon Ramsay

Back in 2009, during an episode of The F-Word, Gordon was left almost speechless after he made a delicious looking Pad Thai for Chef Chang, the executive chef of a Thai restaurant called The Blue Elephant. Upon trying the dish, Chang told him bluntly: "This is not Pad Thai at all. Pad Thai has to be sweet, sour, and salty." To which, a shocked Gordon replied: "I think that doesn't taste too bad." Not impressed with his efforts, Chang retorted: "To you, but not for me."

More TV and Film

See more