When Hell’s Kitchen freezes over: Gordon Ramsay shocks followers as he announces he’s going vegan

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has declared his veganism – if only when dining in his latest restaurant.

The formidable host of Hell’s Kitchen tweeted a photo of one of the inclusive food choices available at the Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza restaurant which opened in Central London on Tuesday.

He nonchalantly wrote: “Going to give this #vegan thing a try… Yes guys you heard that right. Gx”

The pizza pictured is the charred aubergine option, which is served with toasted pine nuts, garlic pesto, and tomato.

As a vocal critique of vegans and vegetarians, Ramsay’s tweet was met by surprise from fans who questioned whether his comment was a belated April Fool’s joke.

Twitter users were quick to call him a “hypocrite” and reference how he once told his 6.83 million followers that he was allergic to vegans in 2016; a controversial joke that was retweeted over 42,000 times.

In 2007, proud-vegetarian Paul McCartney criticised Ramsay for telling The Daily Mirror that he would “never forgive” his daughters if their boyfriends did not eat meat. He also outrageously added that he would “sit [his children] on a fence and electrocute them” if they become vegetarians, sparking further furore.

Meanwhile, in February of this year, he tweeted his “support” of PETA, meaning “People Eating Tasty Animals” and enraged the online vegan community.

The animal-rights activist group PETA were quick to respond, telling Ramsay that they had “heard that old line before” and “while you’re spending time mocking the future #vegan we’re betting you one day become, most chefs are exploring healthy, animal & environment-friendly #PlantBased dishes.” They have since responded to Ramsay's latest tweet, saying "we knew this day would come!"

This social media post is most likely to be publicising the restaurant’s opening and it is not believed that Ramsay has converted to veganism.