A new survey has crowned Gordon Ramsay the most popular celebrity chef of 2007, just days after the chef was accused of losing his grip by Harden’s restaurant guide.

 The BBC’s Olive magazine’s 2007 Rated and Slated Awards, voted for by readers, found Ramsay as the clear favourite high-profile chef, with Nigella Lawson and Anthony Worrall Thompson voted the least popular.

Delia Smith was voted the most popular cookbook author of the year, while Jamie Oliver came last in this category.

Fast food chain McDonald’s fared badly coming in bottom position for both the high-street chain and restaurant categories, with Pizza Express and Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s coming top respectively.

Christine Hayes, editor of Olive magazine said: “While their styles couldn’t be more different, Olive’s 2007 reader awards clearly show that both Gordon Ramsay and Delia Smith are top of their game.

“Gordon is respected and admired as a restaurant chef, and Delia’s attention to detail means our readers trust her to provide recipes that work every time.”

Full list of winner and losers

Category	Rated	Slated
Best restaurant	Claridges	McDonald’s
Global cuisine	Italian	Chinese
TV/radio programme	BBC1 Saturday Kitchen	BBC2 Ready, Steady Cook
UK foodie destination	Brighton	Blackpool
High-street chain	Pizza Express	McDonald’s
Cookbook	Delia Smith	Jamie Oliver
British food	Marmite	Marmite
Foodie holiday	Italy	Spain
olive recipe	Chicken wrapped in Parma ham	Dime bar dreams

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By Kerstin Kühn

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