Chef Michel Roux Jr has admitted during an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk that he’s been “too busy” to catch up with MasterChef, which he formerly starred in, despite watching it “religiously” before.
The 63-year-old says he misses being a “father figure” to the contestants, who have faced tough criticism during this year’s series.
Would-be chefs have found themselves in floods of tears after declaring they’d “failed badly” at food-related tasks.
However, Michel revealed: “To be brutally honest I haven’t seen any of the MasterChef series because I’ve been so, so busy.
“I used to religiously watch it when I was on, and the reason behind that is that I needed to be 100 percent up to speed when people asked me questions about it.
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He added that as the show was filmed six months in advance, he “tended to forget” what had happened.
“I always used to watch it so that I was prepared and ready for the question,” he explained.
Although he hasn’t caught an episode in recent years, he still has fond memories of the show, explaining: “I really thoroughly enjoyed my time on MasterChef: The Professionals, especially being a mentor and almost like a father figure to the contestants… to be able to inspire them and help them to achieve greater things.”
He also says he doesn’t approve of non-constructive criticism, explaining that there should always be a “light at the end of the tunnel” for hopefuls, and an explanation of how they can perfect the task next time they try.
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“I’ve always been very honest with my appraisal and how I see it [but] you have to back up [criticism] with proper reasons and you have to give that person light at the end of the tunnel… telling them how to do it right and encouraging them to try again,” he explained.
Michel also shed light on a formidably acid-tongued fellow chef who had once been trained by him at Mayfair’s iconic Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche – Gordon Ramsay.
While Gordon is known for his choice words when it comes to criticism, he suggested that the “naturally gifted” cook isn’t quite so “hot-tempered” behind the scenes as he might appear on TV.
He previously took issue with a chef he felt had over-salted a dish on an episode of The F Word, telling him he had “the palate of a cow’s backside”.
The restaurant entrepreneur once even called Michel’s uncle a “pompous old fart” in a Twitter rant over his decision to ban photos at his plush Berkshire restaurant, The Waterside Inn.
However, Michel stepped in to explain: “I think on television he’s been portrayed as very hot-tempered and driven and passionate – but let’s not forget television is entertainment and television picks out the choicest moments.”
Michel appears at the BBC Good Food Winter Show all this week at NEC Birmingham and while his restaurant Le Gavroche is soon to close to give him a better work-life balance, it remains open until January 2024 for those wanting to take up their last chance to sample his iconic French cuisine.
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