'Coq au Van' off all menus after celebrity chef closes central kitchens

Just a week after Gordon Ramsay announced that he would not be re-opening The Devonshire pub after its small fire, the beleaguered chef is to close his central production kitchen.

Based in Wandsworth, GR Logistics made pre-prepared meals which were then delivered to and sold in a number of Ramsay's outlets including The Devonshire at a 586% mark up.

The Sun newspaper, which uncovered the production site in April 2009, led with the story under the headline 'Ramsay Serves Up Coq au Van.'

Undercover reporters discovered that food destined for The Devonshire and three of Ramsay's other restaurants in London was actually being prepared at the site.

They also revealed that a fish-cake portion costing the restaurants £1.92 was being sold to diners for £11.25.

The revelation came hot on the heals of Ramsay being quoted in the Times as saying, "My food hell is any ready meal. It’s so easy to prepare a quick meal using fresh produce, such as a simple stir-fry, but people still resort to ready meals that all taste exactly the same."

A GRH spokeswoman responded at the time by saying, “The central kitchen is a state-of the-art-facility. It is a Gordon Ramsay kitchen run by Gordon Ramsay chefs cooking Gordon Ramsay food - it just happens to be off site.”

Speaking about its closure, a spokeswoman for GRH said, "GR Logistics is a catering production company which will close at the end of July following a review of its services."

July 8, 2010