Gordon Ramsay forgets social distancing as he poses with restaurant staff on his holiday in Portugal (after ‘insisting they remove their masks’ before photo was taken)
- Restaurant owner Nuno Lourenco revealed that Ramsay popped in on Monday
- At the end of the meal, he posed for a photo ‘insisting’ staff remove their masks
- Ramsay also angered Cornwall locals during the lockdown by going on bike ride
Cordon Ramsay forgot social distancing as he posed for a holiday snap in Portugal after feasting on fresh fish.
The TV chef, who angered Cornwall locals during the lockdown, ditched his face mask despite being surrounded by restaurant staff for the keepsake pic after his evening meal.
And today the famous eaterie in the popular surfing spot of Ericeira near Lisbon said the Scot had insisted staff remove their face coverings before the photo was taken.
Restaurant owner Nuno Lourenco revealed the Michelin-starred chef had dropped in for dinner on Monday by posting the snap on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
He wrote: ‘We had the privilege of receiving one of the most famous chefs in the world.’
Gordon Ramsey visited a Portuguese restaurant while on on holiday and posed with the staff after the meal (pictured above). The owner has said that the Michelin star chef ‘insisted’ the staff to take their masks off for the photo
Describing his visit as a ‘great surprise’, he told Portuguese daily Observador: ‘I knew he had come to eat fish yet I still asked him what he preferred.
‘All he said was “No, no, you’re going to choose my fish.”‘
Revealing the dad-of-five had feasted on clams, grilled grouper fish and a home-made apple pie, he added: ‘He made a point afterwards of going over to our grill to say it was exceptional, five star.’
The TV chef, who dined with ‘two foreign men’ according to Portuguese press, posed for a group picture at the door of the restaurant after his meal.
Some of the staff at the eaterie were pictured with their face masks in their hands, but none were wearing any protection and Ramsay’s face covering was nowhere to be seen.
Portugal remains on Britain’s quarantine list after failing to make the list of ‘safe’ countries where people reaching the UK from do not have to self-isolate for 14 days.
One of the restaurant’s staff members shared the photo on Facebook with the accompanying message, saying it was a ‘privilege’ to host ‘one of the most famous chefs in the world.’
It sets Ramsay up for a period of forced quarantine following his Portugal trip which Observador said was work-related and involved filming on board a fishing boat in Peniche north of Lisbon.
The absence of any face masks in the photo raised questions from some locals.
One said in a sarcastic comment on social media: ‘It appears they’re at the door of the restaurant.
‘We all know there’s no problems by the door.’
The restaurant pointed the finger at Ramsay, replying to comments about the face masks by saying: ‘He insisted we take them off.’
The celeb chef spent most of lockdown with his family at their four million pound mansion in Trebetherick near Daymer Bay in Cornwall before returning to London at the end of June.
The move sparked an outcry among some locals.
Ramsay also angered Cornwall locals during the lockdown in May by admitting to ‘sneaking off’ on a 100km bike ride (pictured above)
He admitted to ‘sneaking off’ for 100km bike rides but insisted he broke no rules.
Responding to coastguard warnings in May for being too far from his house, he told the Joe Wicks podcast recently: ‘There was no law to say you had to cycle for an hour and an hour only.
‘They were encouraging you to cycle so I did sneak off on some massive 90km and 100km bike rides.
‘Those rolling hills between here and Newquay, Bude, and Bodmin. Bodmin Moor at half past five in the morning in the middle of Spring, there’s nowhere more beautiful.’
He added: ‘So what are the coastguard going to do? Think about it. Look after the coastline, let me ride my bike.
‘The coastguard should not be telling me what to do in the middle of the forest on my fricking bike should they?’
‘There was no one on the roads so how the f*** can you complain about me and my little bike when there’s no one on the f****** roads. Come on.’
Portugal vented its fury at Britain on Friday as ministers refused to remove the country from its quarantine list.
It was first left off the list of ‘green’ countries three weeks ago after a spike of cases in and around Lisbon.
Portugal blasts Britain for not following ‘facts’ as holiday favourite is again left OFF UK quarantine-free travel list
Portugal vented its fury at Britain today as ministers refused to remove the popular holiday destination from its quarantine list.
Ministers updated a list of nations from which arrivals would be exempt from 14-day isolation this afternoon but the popular holiday destination was still missing from it.
It was left off when the system was launched three weeks ago amid fears at its level of coronavirus infections, promoting initial anger in Lisbon.
The refusal to change it today sparked further uproar in Portugal, which relies heavily on tourism, with foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva saying the decision was ‘not backed by facts’.
But five other nations have been placed on the approved air bridge list: Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Caribbean islands’ nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The change will come into effect from Tuesday.
The need for holidaymakers returning to Britain from Portugal to quarantine for 14 days has particularly affected the southern Algarve region, popular among Britons for its sandy beaches and golf courses.
Other European nations including Ireland, Belgium and Finland have also imposed travel restrictions on Portugal.
But Spain remains on the UK list of nations cleared for quarantine-free travel, despite fears it is suffering a second peak of infections.
It was left off when the system was launched three weeks ago amid fears at its level of coronavirus infections, promoting initial anger in Lisbon
The refusal to change it today sparked further uproar in Portugal, which relies heavily on tourism, with foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva saying the decision was ‘not backed by facts’.
Deputy emergency health director Maria Jose Sierra has revealed her concerns over the spike in Covid-19 cases after the country recorded an additional 2,615 new infections yesterday – doubling from 1,357 the previous day.
Ms Sierra said: ‘We have important outbreaks. It could be a second wave. We’ll have to see what happens in the next few weeks.’
France has not ruled out closing its borders to Spain and Norway is threatening to add it to its red list of countries that require returning visitors to be quarantined for ten days.
French health officials have recorded 4,724 new cases this week, up from 3,922 from last Monday to Friday and 3,792 in the working week before that.
British tourists have also been warned that a new travel system means air bridges could collapse at short notice leaving them facing a quarantine on return to the UK.
The Spanish tourism industry, which accounts for around 12 per cent of the nation’s economy, now faces uncertainty after the country’s borders were reopened to tourists with great fanfare last month.