Maybe Michael Winner got off lightly when he was kicked out of Jean Christophe Novelli's Harpenden pub, the White Horse, last year, as the Gaelic love bomb has just signed a deal to be the face of....yep, Findus.
Okay, Findus crispy pancakes have kept many a student going in their time but how Novelli says, straight-faced:
"Freezing is nature’s best way of preserving flavours, colours and vitamins.But any finished dish is only as good as the raw ingredients and imagination put in at the beginning, so it is a pleasure working with people who share my high standards in food preparation and presentation. I see this as just the start of a wonderful relationship”is beyond the Rat.
Look it's a tasty little deal fair enough, but it's more to do with the bank manager than fine-dinning. Haddock Mornay - on a bed of spinach topped with a rich cheese Mornay sauce (serves one) - part of the new ready meal range Novelli is developing - ain't gonna make it onto the menu at the White Horse, Rat fans.
What with Gordon Ramsay swearing by Threshers Wines, Jamie Oliver flogging us the latest tat from Sainsbury's and Brian Turner plugging sandwiches it's as if the chef world has gone endorsement crazy. Has integrity left by the kitchen door? What's wrong with cooking damn fine food?
What ever next, Heston Blumenthal in a tie up with Specsavers?