Gordon, Gino & Fred : Go Greek | Interview with Gordon Ramsay

What can viewers expect to see in the new series?

Everything they’ve come to love about me, Gino and Fred creating havoc and cooking great food in beautiful locations. Meeting amazing food providers, discovering off-the-beaten-track destinations, having fun with the locals and of course some pretty dreadful driving when anyone other than me is behind the wheel of our various modes of transport!!

You’ve swapped the road for island hopping this series – who was the best Captain?

C’mon, you really don’t need to ask that question – me! It’s always me! Gino thought he was in charge of the catamaran because he got some kind of canoe certificate in a Christmas cracker but let me tell you, he was no captain D’Acampo!

What was your favourite moment or experience on this trip?

We really appreciated how lucky we were to get away and film safely, in COVID times when most people were still staying home. It was great to see the guys, hang out and have fun after the difficult times. It was energising and uplifting. All the locations we visited were quieter than they usually would be, no tourists anywhere, empty streets, empty beaches and that gave us a new perspective, time-out to admire the real beauty of Greece and its stunning islands. The sunsets were incredible the ingredients amazing and the people warm and welcoming.

How would you summarise Greek cuisine?

Super tasty, very fresh – often the most delicious dishes were made of the simplest most humble ingredients. A lesson to learn is that cooking does not need to be over complicated. Fishing for seafood is always a joy, here the waters were crystal clear and the produce incredible, the octopus and lobster was some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Did you cook anything unusual?

In Channia, Crete we went to this old, family run bakery to learn to make Bougasta, which was a first for me, a hundred year old recipe a light, crunchy filo pastry sheep’s cheese puff with sugar sprinkled on top –delicious! The most beautiful ingredient we discovered was definitely the purest honey produced by the nuns in Meteora, honestly, truly stunning! I’m going to roast my Christmas Ham this year with some of their honey it will be delicious

Can you tell us a bit more about some of the activities?

I’m always excited to go truffle hunting, I love truffles such an incredible ingredient and to think no matter how modern life gets, how high tech kitchens can be, you can have all the gadgets in the world but you still need the incredible nose of a four-legged friend to sniff out the very best truffles. Fascinating. And PS, someone gets naked – again and, no, it’s not me!

Obviously you’re used to Gino and Fred’s ‘quirks’ by now, but even so, what was the most annoying thing each of your companions did on the trip?

I seriously don’t have enough minutes or hours in my day to sit here and list all their annoying habits, there are way too many!