Matt Tebbutt clashes with ‘rude’ BBC Saturday Kitchen guest over Emilia Fox demo: ‘Descending into chaos’
The BBC Saturday Kitchen studio was plunged into chaos as Matt Tebbutt, 51, rowed with celebrity chef guest Gennaro Contaldo, 75.
The pair argued over a risotto the host was attempting to cook for Silent Witness star Emilia Fox, 50, over the weekend.
Italian chef Contaldo was already agitated after Rik Stein’s cutaway segment on plant-based pizza and looked edgy as Tebbutt invited Fox up to watch him cook a risotto.
The host, who has previously feuded with chef guest Anna Haugh, promised to cook a quick dish for Fox but left Contaldo silently seething as he added stock to the rice and, after a “furious” heat, explained to let it to cool in the fridge for a day.
“You could even make the rice a couple of months before,” the 75-year-old snapped sarcastically.
Fox laughed and asked: “So this is a two day risotto? I thought this was a quick and easy dish!”
“Stop making trouble,” the host returned and pulled the Silent Witness star away from chatting with Contaldo and back to the kitchen.
As she looked between the two competing chefs, Fox quipped: “This is a risotto-off!”
Tensions erupted as Tebbutt explained the next step was adding cream to the dish as Contaldo exclaimed: “Mama Mia! Stop there. Why would you want to put cream in risotto?! In Italy, they will give him 25 years!”
The 75-year-old got up from the kitchen table to steal the cream jug which Tebbutt had to send Fox to retrieve.
As Tebbutt attempted to cook, Contaldo continued to wail and barrage the host with complaints – even adding another five years to his hypothetical jail sentence: “30 years in prison!””
He slammed the dish as: “The most difficult risotto I’ve ever seen in my entire life!”
Fox cheekily responded by calling the dish: “The most fun risotto I’ve ever had!”
Viewers quickly took to social media in reaction to the “car crash” on air falling out and the studio “descending into chaos.”
One wrote excitedly: “This Italian uncle is kicking off!”
As the cream was added, another predicted a “diplomatic incident kicking off” while a third observed it was: “How to make an Italian spontaneously combust 101 right here.”
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“Absolute chaos today – got to love an Italian chef getting angry,” a fourth enthused.
However, others took issue with Contaldo’s distracting interjections.
One questioned: “This old chef is rude and annoying why are they laughing at him as if he’s funny?”
“When Gennaro there it’s always chaos, he talks over everyone, full of his own importance, thinks he knows it all, gets on my nerves,” another fumed.
A third slammed: “B***** off Contaldo, you don’t have a monopoly on how things are cooked regardless of their origins.”
Despite the argument, Tebbutt was able to produce the risotto for Fox which he described “Perfect” for her character Nikki Alexander who is always getting called away to work.
“Yeah! Leave it in the fridge and Jack could get it out later,” Fox responded, referencing the much discussed onscreen relationship Nikki is now involved in.