appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Bernice Chan

Is British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay going vegan?
According to his Twitter post he is.
On Monday he tweeted: “Going to give this #vegan thing a try … Yes guys you heard that right. Gx”.
The jaw-dropping post was made together with a picture of what could be a vegan pizza for the opening of Ramsay’s latest venture Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza in London.

Going to give this #vegan thing a try ... Yes guys you heard that right. Gx pic.twitter.com/iJZb8WMlH8
— Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) April 16, 2018

The pizza appears to be the charred aubergine pizza on the menu, which comes with toasted pine nuts, wild garlic pesto and tomato, possibly making it vegan-friendly if the pesto doesn’t have cheese in it.
Ramsay’s latest tweet – if true – is a shocking 180-degree turn for the chef, who has mocked vegetarians and vegans in the past.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror in 2007, he said if his children became vegetarian it would be his “biggest nightmare”, adding that he would “sit them on the fence and electrocute them” if one of them made the dietary change.
The comment caught the attention of long-time vegetarian Paul McCartney, who told Sainsbury Magazine he would be willing to talk to the chef about the advantages of vegetarianism.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, chef Neil Tomes who announced he became vegan in February commented on Ramsay’s announcement with some scepticism, saying it sounded like a publicity stunt.
But if Ramsay really is going vegan, what advice would Tomes have in making the dietary transition?
“Just keep it simple. You can eat plant-based things like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, but try to keep it as pure as possible,” says Tomes, adding it’s good to eat things like whole grains, nuts and rice.
“You have to use your whole cooking repertoire to get every ounce of flavour out and there’s a whole world of spices to explore,” he continues. “You will never find the perfect substitute for sour cream and cheese, but you can build flavours to make them as close as possible.”


Goodbye Pierre, hello … Aubrey. Izakaya at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong to open in January on hotel’s top floor

‘Hong Kong is safest place in the world,’ says chef who left Bangkok fearing for his safety amid coronavirus

With no tourists, fine-dining restaurants in Hong Kong must adapt to survive the coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus: top hotel restaurants in Hong Kong forced to close their doors before Valentine’s Day

Diner's Diary

Gordon Ramsay turning vegan? Hong Kong meat-loving chef turned vegan offers some advice

Gordon Ramsay is known for his love of meat, but recently tweeted he was turning vegan.

DaveKing. TV programme, Gordon's Christmas Cookalong.

Chef/patron (chef-owner) Neil Tomes of Mavericks in Pui O, a new converted vegan, stands between a butcher and a vegetable seller, at the Wanchai markets, Hong Kong on March 21, 2018. Just as the Year of the Dog started, Neil Tomes decided to change his diet overnight. The chef who has relished working with meat at Hong Kong restaurants Alfie’s, Beef and Liberty and, most recently, Mavericks – has gone vegan. 21MAR18 [FEATURES] SCMP / ANTONY DICKSON

This handout image shows Roasted veal carpaccio, truffle creÃÄme fraiche, artichoke from the from Bread Street by Gordon Ramsay. [25SEPTEMBER2014 LEAD FEATURE 48HRS]

Why a Hong Kong meat-loving chef turned vegan – and the benefits he is feeling already

Neil Tomes, chef and owner of Mavericks in Pui O, visits Wan Chai market in Hong Kong. Photo: Antony Dickson

Chef/patron (chef-owner) Neil Tomes of Mavericks in Pui O, a new vegan, at the Wanchai markets, Hong Kong on March 21, 2018. [FEATURES] SCMP / ANTONY DICKSON

Portrait of Beef & Liberty chef Neil Tomes with his Mangalica pork burger. 02MAR15

***ONE TIME USE ONLY, PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE RE-USE - OTUO*** Chef Neil Tomes poses with Mangalica pigs at Kiskunsagi National Park in HUngary. [03APR2015 BROADSHEET FOOD & WINE]

J06588 chicken stands outside barn full of feeding cows at organic dutch farm in the netherlandsPhoto ; Alamy [FEATURES 2018]

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

News

World

Europe

Ramsay’s vegan announcement is a shocking about turn for the Michelin-starred chef. Hong Kong restaurateur and newly converted vegan Neil Tomes is sceptical, but has a few tips to help the craggy faced chef ease into a plant-based lifestyle


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Diner’s Diary