Gordon is 'brilliant' says Punch TV star

A Punch licensee who will appear on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares next Tuesday has reported "massively increased" turnover at his pub thanks to the chef.

Brian Rey, of the Fenwick Arms in Claughton, Lancashire, said: "Ramsay returned five weeks after his initial visit and compared our like-for-like Sunday sales to the year before.

"Turnover for the day had risen from £365 last year to £1,800 this year. I expect his changes to increase our yearly turnover from £300,000 to £450,000."

Rey, who has been at the pub for three years, discovered that he had been chosen for the show after one of his staff registered the pub.

"The next thing I knew, I had a television company phoning to organise the shoot," he said.

"I've never come across anyone quite like Ramsay - he's an incredible chef and a brilliant manager.

"It was like having a human tornado of energy here."

Ramsay, who spent eight days at the pub, made several changes to the menu and simplified many of the dishes.

"He said we were offering too many sauces with the dishes and told us we shouldn't treat the pub like our home - he advised us remove some of our personal effects from the bar area.

"Although Ramsay's manner was very brutal, we had to learn that his comments weren't personal but were aimed at changing our attitude towards the business," said Rey.

Rey has suffered six heart attacks, two strokes and had a quadruple heart bypass. At 62, he still works 120 hours a week in the kitchen.

"Having Ramsay around was like having six heart attacks," joked Rey.

"He was very upset that I worked so much. He used to say to me 'You're two years older than my mother!'

"And after the first day, he threw me out of the kitchen."

Rey and his partner Elaine have launched a Campaign for Real Gravy to get Britons to ditch granules in the wake of Ramsay's visit.

"Gordon thought we used too many sauces and should stick to real gravy - we're making 200 litres a week now."

Ramsay's first Gastropub

Gordon Ramsay is set to move into his first gastropub - the Narrow Street Bar & Dining Room, in London's Wapping.

Punch's managed arm Spirit has assigned its lease on the premises to Ramsay's company. The site has a rent of £128,576 per annum, with a lease due to expire in June 2114.

Nick Weir, partner at agent Shelley Sandzer, which acted for Spirit, said: "This transaction represents Gordon Ramsay's first foray into the gastropub world. Gordon was attracted to this site because of its large outside seating area and high-density residential catchment."

Ramsay has subsequently bought the freehold of the Warrington Hotel in London's Maida Vale.