I've just read the extract from Marco Pierre White's autobiography (Caterer, 24 August, page 32), and I've never read such a load of self-serving egotistical crap.

He seems to be proud of the fact that he could break the spirit of young hopefuls within four weeks. Well, he might just have spawned a small group of foul-mouthed egotists like Gordon Ramsay, but he's probably also been responsible for hundreds of valuable young people leaving the industry.

Why on earth did Caterer allow someone like this such a stage on which to prance his cruel ballet? Our industry has a bad enough image for poor treatment of staff without it being lauded by the biggest-circulation hospitality magazine in the country.

From your pictures I see he's graduated from a hothead chef into a double-breasted spiv... oh, and he smokes.

Christopher Dale
Claymore Training, Kidderminster, Worcestershire

* While Marco Pierre White's management style may not be textbook, he remains a huge culinary inspiration for chefs the length and breadth of the country, as many of our readers will testify - Ed.

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