Celebrity chefs talk turkey - Dec 13 2007
Gary Rhodes and Ainsley Harriott will front a new campaign to help cooks avoid food poisoning over Christmas.

The two celebrity chefs feature in the Food Standards Agency's radio adverts which go on air from December 17.

It follows a survey for the food watchdog which found 80% of respondents would wash turkey before cooking it, which significantly increases the risk of food poisoning.

The FSA advises people not to wash raw turkey meat before cooking.

Judith Hilton, head of microbiological safety for the food watchdog, said germs which cause food poisoning were killed by heat.

"By washing your raw turkey, you're actually more likely to spread the germs than get rid of them," she warned.

Washing causes a risk of harmful bacteria splashing from the raw meat or poultry on to worktops, chopping boards and utensils, the FSA says.

The radio adverts featuring Gary and Ainsley will run until Christmas Day.

A UK-wide survey of 2,148 people was carried out for the FSA by TNS CAPI Omnibus researchers.

Chef Gary honoured with OBE - Nov 24 2006
Chef Gary Rhodes collected his OBE and reminded the Queen he had once served vegetables to the Duke of Edinburgh.

"I was on a catering course and made many visits here and to Windsor. I remember serving vegetables to the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles. The Queen said ’Oh goodness - you’ve certainly moved on and come a long way’," Gary said afterwards.

For the occasion, the cook ditched his kitchen whites and chefs hat for an Armani morning suit with dark velvet tailed jacket and waistcoat, completing his look with his trademark spiky hair.

Gary, who was born in Dulwich, south east London, and grew up in Kent, first decided he wanted to be a chef at the age of 13 after cooking his family’s Sunday lunch - followed by a steamed lemon sponge pudding.

At 16, he left school to go to catering college and worked as a cleaner to pay his way.

After graduating, he got a job as a commis chef at the Amsterdam Hilton.

In 1996, he won a Michelin star for the Greenhouse restaurant in Mayfair - he has received five stars during his career.

Gary is credited with reinvigorating British cooking with a modern twist.

Of getting his OBE, Gary said: "It’s something that I never expected to happen. It’s really quite incredible. To have something like this makes the long hours and the hard work and the stress that goes with it all worthwhile."

Chef Gary Rhodes is an all season man - 28/11/02
The National Farmers Union has enlisted the help of one of Britain’s top chefs to explain to shoppers what food tastes best and when - with the help of the Little Red Tractor food logo.



A food chart highlighting when fresh produce is in season and featuring recipes from Gary Rhodes’s latest book will be handed to thousands of shoppers. Gary’s book Cookery Year - Autumn into Winter shows food tastes better in season.

Up to 200, 000 copies of the chart will be distributed at farmers’ markets, farm shops, NFU offices and the NFU Food and Farming roadshow.