Gordon opportunity

Getting a table at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is no easy task, but next month 50 Caterer readers will be able to bypass the reservations book when this year's Cateys Chef Award winner hosts an industry lunch on Monday 11 September, in association with Caterer & Hotelkeeper and British Meat.

Ramsay has devised an enticing five-course lunch, including wine (supplied by OW Loeb & Co), for £50, featuring many of the dishes that have helped win his restaurant two Michelin stars, five AA rosettes and nine out of 10 in the Good Food Guide.

The lunch will comprise pea velouté with smoked ham knuckle, ravioli of lobster and langoustine poached in a lobster bisque, roast canon of lamb on a bed of crushed new potatoes with confit garlic and baby onions served with a thyme jus, panna cotta scented with rum and fine orange tart served with lavender ice-cream.

However, also included in the price of the lunch is a copy of Ramsay's latest book, A Chef for all Seasons, which retails at £25. The book is to be launched in the UK at the end of September, but readers attending the lunch will have the opportunity to preview it two weeks before it hits the bookshelves.

"It's my first truly internationally-available book," explains Ramsay, who has recently returned from Australia and New Zealand where the book is already on sale. "Once the book has been launched in Britain in September, we then move to Holland, France and Italy with it."

Ramsay has spent much of the past two years writing the book with his co-author, Roz Denny, and in spite of a hectic schedule, he believes the project has not interfered with his cooking at the restaurant.

"Because of the exclusivity of the restaurant [it is closed at weekends] we have been able to concentrate on photography when the restaurant has been closed and not had to rush it in between service," Ramsay explains. He adds that about 40% of the content of the book reflects the food he is currently serving at the 45-seat restaurant.

Ramsay is hoping that the industry lunch will appeal to young chefs who wish to work in the "premier division" of the hospitality industry. "It's an opportunity for them to get one step closer to reaching their goal," he says.

Guests will be asked to arrive at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at about 12pm. After lunch Ramsay will give readers a tour of his kitchen and offer an insight into the demands on his time and his restaurant.

If you would like to reserve a place at the event, send a cheque made payable to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay for £50 per person accompanied by a completed coupon. We anticipate that this event will be oversubscribed and we can therefore accept only two individuals per booking.