How Marco Pierre White went from fine dining to a fine previous mess

Marco Pierre White: retired as a chef in 1999 to focus on his company ventures. Photograph: Don Arnold/WireImage

Identify: Marco Pierre White.

Age: 52.

Appearance: Remember that time your dinner lady came to college drunk and wild-haired and clutching a knife? A bit like that.

That is no way to communicate about the enfant horrible of British cuisine. Marco’s eating places are prestigious. They’re influential. They are … in want of a swift clean?

Pardon? Environmental wellness officers visited the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar &amp Grill in Birmingham earlier this yr and awarded it a foods hygiene rating of zero. The specifics of their report appeared in the Instances this week.

And what does the zero rating indicate, exactly? It signifies they identified raw meat and cooked meat stored together and dealt with with the exact same gear, they found the cleanliness, layout and ventilation to be ‘poor’ and they had no self-confidence in the management. Workers say they have acted on the inspectors’ suggestions and subsequent revisits have been constructive, but the zero rating will keep legitimate till the subsequent inspection.

But I was going to go there subsequent week. Conserve your income. There is an Eat4Less sandwich store 10 minutes away. You could get dozens of 99p baguettes for the same cost.

Are there any options that nevertheless involve Marco Pierre White? Oh yes, quite a couple of. White retired as a chef in 1999, which has offered him a lot of time to focus on his other business ventures.

Such as? There is Marco’s Grill, which is inside a football stadium. Or the sports bar he created with a jockey, which is also inside a football stadium …

I’d rather consume someplace that is not within a football stadium. In no way worry! Marco is also the encounter of each Bernard Matthews and condiment makers Knorr, so you could usually go and sit on a park bench someplace, crumble a stock cube above a packet of Hickory BBQ Turkey Chunks and reside out your fantasy of fine dining that way.

Are you suggesting that Marco Pierre White has squandered his talent in favour of an effortless buck? No, I am stating it baldly as truth. I considered that was apparent.

Do say: “I would like to order the beef bourguignon, please.”

Don’t say: “Yes, I’m cancelling my reservation. We’re just going to remain residence and neck some gravy.”

How Marco Pierre White went from fine dining to a fine previous mess