Mark Sargeant no longer at Claridges

Mark Sargeant, known by many as Gordon Ramsay's right-hand-man, has left his position of chef de cuisine at Claridge's.

Sargeant, who is competing on the BBC's Great British Menu against former Gordon Ramsay stable mate Tristan Welch this week, apparently left the Michelin-starred restaurant some time ago.

He has been replaced by chef de cuisine Steve Allen, who has been head chef at the restaurant since 2007.

Ramsay and his team of PRs have been keeping the move under tight wraps, which is unsurprising as "Sarge" is very much represented as the head chef of Claridge's on the Great British Menu.

The official line from Ramsay is that Sargeant left Claridge's to allow him "more time to concentrate on the demands made by Gordon's publishing and television commitments".

He remains involved in the group's London pubs, the Narrow in Limehouse, the Warrington in Maida Vale, and the Devonshire in Chiswick, which he has overseen since the start. Sargeant also co-wrote many of Ramsay's cookery books including the most recent one, Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food.

But with the pubs having been rumoured to be on the market for months, could this be the beginning of the end of yet another beautiful relationship?