Gordon Ramsay has weighed in the debate around how the modern world caters for those on weight loss medication - and he's not mincing his words.
According to recent reports, around 2.5 million people in the UK are currently using weight loss jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy.
In the United States, nearly one in eight adults (12 percent) has used GLP-1 drugs at some point, with some of the more common side effects including nausea, a lack of appetite, and no food noise.
To accommodate ‘skinny-jab’ users’ lack of hunger, some New York restaurants like Tucci have introduced bite-sized ‘Ozempic’ portions.
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This trend of offering smaller, snackable-sized dishes is one celebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal, 59, has also latched onto.
In September, he introduced a ‘mindful’ food experience at his Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire.
Unlike usual offerings, this tailored menu features tiny portions so Mounjaro users can still enjoy high-quality food without feeling overwhelmed.
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In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ramsay, 59, spoke out against Blumenthal’s decision, and announced there would be ‘no way’ he would be swayed by the crowd.
“That is absolute b*****it,” he began. “There’s no f****ng way we’re giving in to the Mounjaro jab … The problem is with them [the diners] for eating too much in the first f****ng place!"
He added: "There’s no way that we’re coming in with an Ozempic tasting menu to make you feel like less of a fat f**k by 10:30 in the evening.”
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Blumenthal’s Mindful Tasting Menu is priced at £275 and features 11 unique dishes, including a nitro-poached aperitif and aerated beetroot with horseradish cream.
Speaking of the decision to cater to weight-loss drug users, the chef said: “Millions of people are eating much less food, drinking less, losing interest in restaurants, losing interest even in food.
“One of the unanticipated effects of taking Mounjaro has been that I’ve become even more aware of my tastebuds and how hunger works, and I’m eating in a more mindful, focused manner.
”Mindful eating can of course be applied to any experience – even an airline meal or a store-bought sandwich on your lunchbreak – but this new version of The Fat Duck menu is carefully tailored to a growing demand for a different restaurant experience,” he added.
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He added that previously, people have complained about the portion sizes on the three-Michelin-star dishes, but now ‘needs, expectations and appetites’ have changed.
“Maybe this carefully structured menu is the perfect answer to what many people are looking for,” Blumenthal claimed.
While Ramsay isn’t keen to board the Mounjaro train, he is gearing up for a slew of new restaurants to open.
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Last month, it was announced he’d be launching the new gastropub, Gordon Ramsay at The Carnaby, in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort in California.
The Hell’s Kitchen icon also hopes to launch a new Bread Street Kitchen in the 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper in central London next year.
The building already hosts Ramsay’s Lucky Cat eatery, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, and a cookery school.
Ella Scott