Gordon Ramsay’s midnight snack has been fueling England footballers for years
When it comes to signature Gordon Ramsay recipes, you may immediately think of his traditional beef wellington or his Coq au Vin - but did you know his go-to midnight snack is much more underrated?
And surprisingly, it’s a firm favourite of the men’s England national football team.
The proud Scotsman, 59, took part in a rapid-fire interview with Bon Appétit magazine back in 2015, where he revealed exactly what he enjoys eating when the clock chimes 12.
In the chat, he revealed he was a ketchup man who liked his eggs scrambled; he’d always side with a vodka over a glass of gin; and opt for a breakfast mimosa over a traditional Bloody Mary.
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Ramsay, who recently revealed that he accidentally kicked Dame Joan Collins out of one of his restaurants, also admitted in the Q&A that he would ‘love’ to cook for former First Lady of the United States and ex-Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, serving her up ‘something authentic, rich, and a sauce that had been doused with lots of red wine’.
“Like a braised short rib, because she’s of that era—of that age—that she understands fine food,” he reasoned.
Following the confession, the father of six was asked what the ‘best’ midnight snack was.
His answer in short? Baked beans on sourdough bread.
Naturally, The F Word icon’s dish was pimped with seasonings; chilli flakes, garlic, Tabasco sauce, and hot sauce were all mentioned, as were some other items he’d serve up alongside it.
Apparently, Ramsay would grill the sourdough beans, pour the baked beans on top, and top it with a Parmesan-covered duck egg gratinated under a grill.
England footballers eat beans on toast before games
While they don’t necessarily have the extravagant thrills that the Hell’s Kitchen legend has, Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions have been known to indulge in a classic plate of beans on toast before taking to the pitch.
Former England personal chef and nutritionist Tim De’Ath told The Sun that the dish was a ‘much-loved pre-match staple in the camp’.
“Most of the players I worked with loved a helping of beans on wholemeal toast, which was always served three hours before kick-off,” the 57-year-old claimed.
“They’ll stack up on protein before games with midfielders who do lots of running, normally eating more than other players to boost their energy levels.”
Captain Harry Kane is apparently someone who bucks the trend, opting to enjoy a plate of scrambled eggs with a side of toast instead.
“But that’s also a light meal packed with protein and makes perfect fuel,” the cook reasoned.
Benefits of eating beans
Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow, best-selling author and host of Netflix's Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, gushed that beans are the world’s ‘number one longevity food’.
“It's the cornerstone of every blue zone diet in the world, and we know that eating just one cup of cooked beans is associated with four extra years of life expectancy,” he stated.
"It's a great source of complex carbohydrates. It's a great source of fibre, most Americans don't get enough fibre, and with a protein-obsessed country, it's a great source of healthy protein."
The British Heart Foundation has said that baked beans are low in fat and high in both cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre and gut-friendly insoluble fibre.
Moreover, the plant protein is packed with nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
The breakfast staple can sometimes be high in salt and sugar, so it may be worth diversifying and picking up black beans, soybeans, and cannellini beans, too.
2026 World Cup results so far
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Argentina vs Switzerland, 3-1
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, 1-2
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Spain vs Belgium, 2-1
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, 2-0
Tuesday 7 July
Round of 16 - Match 94: USA vs Belgium, 1-4
Round of 16 - Match 95: Argentina vs Egypt, 3-2
Round of 16 - Match 96: Switzerland vs Colombia, 0-0 (4-3 on penalties)
Monday 6 July
Round of 16 - Match 92: Mexico vs England, 2-3
Round of 16 - Match 93: Portugal vs Spain, 0-1
Sunday 5 July
Round of 16 - Match 91: Brazil vs Norway, 1-2
Saturday 4 July
Round of 32 - Match 87: Colombia vs Ghana, 1-0
Round of 16 - Match 90: Canada vs Morocco, 0-3
Round of 16 - Match 89: Paraguay vs France, 0-1
Friday 3 July
Round of 32 - Match 83: Portugal vs Croatia, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 85: Switzerland vs Algeria, 2-0
Round of 32 - Match 88: Australia vs Egypt, 1-1 (2-4 on penalties)
Round of 32 - Match 86: Argentina vs Cabo Verde, 3-2
Thursday, 2 July
Round of 32 - Match 81: USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovnia, 2-0
Round of 32 - Match 84: Spain vs Austria, 3-0
Wednesday, 1 July
Round of 32 - Match 79: Mexico vs Ecuador, 2-0
Round of 32 - Match 80: England vs DR Congo, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 82: Belgium vs Senegal, 3-2
Tuesday, 30 June
Round of 32 - Match 75: Netherlands vs Morocco, 1-1 (3-2)
Round of 32 - Match 78: Ivory Coast vs Norway, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 77: France vs Sweden, 3-0
Monday, 29 June
Round of 32 - Match 76: Brazil vs Japan, 2-1
Round of 32 - Match 74: Germany vs Paraguay, 1-1 (4-3)
Sunday, 28 June
Group K: Colombia vs Portugal, 0-0
Group K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan, 3-1
Group J: Algeria vs Austria, 3-3
Group J: Jordan vs Argentina, 3-1
Round of 32 - Match 73: South Africa vs Canada, 1-0
Saturday, 27 June
Group H: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia, 0-0
Group H: Uruguay vs Spain, 1-0
Group G: New Zealand vs Belgium, 5-1
Group G: Egypt vs Iran, 1-1
Group L: Panama vs England, 2-0
Group L: Croatia vs Ghana, 2-1
Friday, 26 June
Group I: Senegal vs Iraq, 5-0
Group I: Norway vs France, 4-1
Group F: Tunisia vs Netherlands, 3-1
Group F: Japan vs Sweden, 1-1
Group D: Türkiye vs USA, 3-2
Group D: Paraguay vs Australia, 0-0
Thursday, 25 June
Group A: South Africa vs South Korea, 1-0
Group A: Mexico vs Czech Republic, 3-0
Group E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Ecuador, 2-1
Wednesday, 24 June
Group C: Brazil vs Scotland, 3-0
Group C: Morocco vs Haiti, 4-2
Group B: Qatar vs Bosnia-Herzegovnia, 3-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Canada, 2-1
Group L: Panama vs Croatia, 1-0
Group L: Colombia vs DR Congo, 1-0
Tuesday, 23 June
Group I: Norway vs Senegal, 3-2
Group J: Algeria vs Jordan, 2-1
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan, 5-0
Group L: England vs Ghana, 0-0
Monday, 22 June
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt, 1-3
Group J: Argentina vs Austria, 2-0
Group I: France vs Iraq, 3-0
Sunday, 21 June
Group E: Ecuador vs Curaçao, 0-0
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan, 0-4
Group G: Belgium vs Iran, 0-0
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia, 4-0
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, 2-2
Saturday, 20 June
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti, 3-0
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay, 0-1
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast, 2-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Sweden, 5-1
Friday, 19 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea, 1-0
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco, 0-1
Group D: USA vs Australia, 2-0
Thursday 18 June
Group L: Ghana vs Panama, 1-0
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia, 1-3
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa, 1-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 4-1
Group B: Canada vs Qatar, 6-0
Wednesday 17 June
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo, 1-1
Group L: England vs Croatia, 4-2
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria, 3-0
Group J: Austria vs Jordan, 3-1
Tuesday 16 June
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand, 2-2
Group I: France vs Senegal, 3-1
Group I: Iraq vs Norway, 1-4
Monday, 15 June
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, 1-0
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia, 5-1
Sunday, 14 June
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland, 0-1
Group D: Australia vs Turkey, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Curaçao, 7-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan, 2-2
Saturday, 13 June
Group D: USA vs Paraguay, 4-1
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland, 1-1
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco, 1-1
Friday, 12 June
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic, 2-1
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 1-1
Thursday, 11 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa, 2-0
Ella Scott