Gordon Ramsay’s new olive oil venture, Krude, emerged from an unexpected observation during lockdown’s aftermath. His daughter Tilly and her friends preferred bright olive oil bottles over wine at gatherings, sparking the idea. “That was the moment the penny dropped for me,” Ramsay says, reflecting on the shift in post-pandemic social habits.
A Legacy Rooted in Mediterranean Tradition
Ramsay’s connection to olive oil traces back to his twenties, working as a private chef on a superyacht that visited Sicily and Sardinia. “I fell in love not just with those olive groves, but with what olive oil means in Italy. It’s like what Petrus means in Bordeaux,” he explains. His partnership with Giorgio Locatelli further deepened his appreciation, particularly Locatelli’s meticulous olive-oil collection at Zafferano. Ramsay waited years for the right partner and moment, crediting his business partners Ben and Elle Caring for the product’s edgy name: “That was their idea. They’re very in that cool zone. I’m too f*ing old for that stuff.”
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Beyond the culinary world, Ramsay’s health has become a central focus. He aims to run a sub-3.30 marathon in London next year, a goal just 15 seconds short of his 30s performance. “I want to run a marathon faster in my 60s than I did in my 30s, just to prove that you can do that kind of stuff,” he says. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned at the age of 59, it’s that I’m f*ed if I’m going to continue sweating the small stuff.” His training includes a custom Woodway treadmill installed in his Connecticut hotel room during filming.
Adapting to a New Era of Criticism
Ramsay’s approach to restaurant criticism has evolved with social media’s rise. “Everyone who comes into a restaurant with these things is a critic,” he says, brandishing his smartphone. The chef values swift responses to online feedback, often addressing complaints via direct messages before traditional reviews hit print. Internally, his team dissects recurring issues through incognito tastings, though Ramsay admits 95% of complaints prove unfounded. “We take it on the chin, we absorb it, and we self-critique.” If a criticism is made multiple times, the complaint is dissected and studied, then put to the test by a team member dining incognito and ordering exactly what the complainant had. Ninety-five per cent of the time, Ramsay says, the fault cannot be replicated, though he concedes that mistakes do happen.
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High-profile controversies, like a viral TikTok claiming a dog defecated in his Battersea restaurant, highlight the challenges of modern scrutiny. Ramsay laughs, but the incident’s 15 million views left an impact. “Of course it pisses me off, but I don’t start overreacting,” he says, emphasizing a pragmatic outlook shaped by his family’s frontline roles—his son as a combat intelligence officer and daughter as a police officer. “Listen, there are multiple wars going on in the world. I have a son who’s a combat intelligence officer, and I have a daughter who is a police officer, and so I hear about some real s* in life.”
The source reveals Ramsay’s significant weight loss journey, attributing his transformation to dietary changes. He swapped dairy products for olive oil, resulting in a 20-pound loss. His health focus intensified after a skin-cancer scare and with his 60th birthday approaching in November. Ramsay credits Krude olive oil as a healthy alternative, preferring one tablespoon over five butter knobs daily.
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His athletic ambitions extend beyond fitness trends. Ramsay, who tried out for Rangers FC as a teen before a knee injury derailed his football dreams, has completed the Ironman World Championships in 2013 and three ultramarathons. Now he aims to run the London Marathon in under three hours 30 minutes—matching his 30s performance. To achieve this goal, he’s already begun training using a custom Woodway treadmill installed in his Connecticut hotel room.
One person Ramsay has never fought with is Richard Caring, even though both men have found themselves going after the same prime real estate (Caring was among the operators interested in opening at 22 Bishopsgate). Ramsay smirks as if suppressing a giggle when I ask him whether there is any potential for conflict in launching an olive oil with the son of one of his greatest rivals. Why the smile? “Richard Caring is a f*ing teddy bear,” Ramsay eventually says. “The cuddliest granddad on the planet.”