Gordon Ramsay Reveals His Kids Are The Reason For His Plant-Based Eating (2024)

Gordon Ramsay may be renowned for recipes like his Beef Wellington, but the chef is finding more and more ways to integrate plant-based options into his lifestyle and his restaurant kitchens. His inspiration for the diet change? His kids and their passion for nutritious eating.

In an interview with Delish, Gordon said that his plant-based journey started about eight years ago and has since become a passion he carries into the kitchens at his restaurants and at home.

He explains: "From a restaurateur's point of view, I could see a more creative demand for it [plant-based cooking]. So it keeps chefs on their toes. And then when I got to delve into the detail of what that movement meant, I had gone on to oat milk." Backing off true dairy products became an easy decision, he notes. "With the sort of demanding times in my schedule, cutting dairy out of my diet on a day-to-day basis was absolutely crucial."

In fact, he loves Silk's new oat milk so much he used an Instagram filter based on the new launch in a video on his Instagram and Facebook accounts. (His partnership with the brand was the launching pad for this interview.)

Gordon notes that the restauranteur lifestyle is pretty jam-packed, so he often turns to smoothies and iced coffees with oat milk to keep him fueled while on-the-go. After all, "chefs would be liars if we turned around and told you, 'we sit down and eat dinner before we cook dinner, especially in a restaurant.' You need to be nimble," Gordon says.

Not only that, but customers who follow plant-based eating plans want food that is just as good as the meat-based options when eating out at a restaurant. At Gordon's Hell's Kitchen restaurant, he offers items like spring onion soup or white bean cashew stew, among other options that allow the vegan and vegetarian options to be as extensive as the ones that are a la carte. These varying menu options are something Gordon plans to continue experimenting with across his restaurants.

"Here's the thing. I think we need to be front runners, and we need to be example-setters," he said. "Getting creative with plant-based is equally as important as cooking fish or meat. And I think giving the customers the balance on offer, but it needs to match the standard. And that's what we worked extremely hard at."