Gordon Ramsay previously branded King Charles’s organic food brand as “over-priced and boring”.
The restaurateur, who celebrates his 57th today, made the remarks about the then Prince of Wales in a candid interview in 2008.
The celebrity chef told the Daily Telegraph at the time that he was “upset” by the Duchy Original brand and claimed that the prince was using his status to promote sales.
“I am upset with him. When I looked at his Duchy food I was gob-smacked, amazed and dumbfounded at what I discovered. Why would anyone pay that much money for one of his pies?
“I tried them. Just because it has a stamp and his royal crest everyone thinks it is fine, but the number of sodiums, and the sugar content, is embarrassing,” he said.
Gordon conceded that profits do go to charity, but said processed meats should not be used.
The Duchy Originals CEO Andrew Baker said at the time that the products are made of “wholesome, natural ingredients, grown in a sustainable way”.
He commented: “We never use artificial fertilisers or pesticides and our products do not contain hydrogenated fat.
“A large percentage of our products, including our sausages, bacon and baked desserts, are delivered fresh to store on a daily basis.”
Charles, who has been a passionate advocate of environmental causes, founded Duchy Originals in 1990 when he was the Prince of Wales to market produce from his farm.
The company has since grown into one of the largest organic food and drink brands in the United Kingdom, according to the company. In the year through March 2021, Duchy Originals earned nearly £3.6 million ($4.1 million) before taxes, according CNN Business.
They partnered with Waitrose in 2010 and the retailer sells a full range of products under the (renamed) Duchy Organics brand, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and Duchy Originals biscuits.
In one of his final speeches as a prince, King Charles said he was thought of as a “complete idiot” for wanting to farm organically, but was proved right over his concerns about the impact of the use of antibiotics in conventional agriculture.
In 2022, he said: “One of the reasons I went organic 40 years ago was because I felt there was an overuse of antibiotics. And I felt that if you overdo it, you end up with resistance. Anyway, that’s happened. I was told I was a complete idiot for even suggesting going organic.”
The King farmed organically at Home Farm near his Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire, but in 2020 it was announced that he would not be renewing the lease as he prepared for greater royal responsibilities.
