Celebrity chefs at war! Jason Atherton slams ‘public schoolgirl’ Nigella Lawson in four-letter rant after she publicly snubbed his new Mayfair restaurant
- Nigella agreed with a critic who branded Jason’s new restaurant a ‘w***fest’
- TV chef said the scathing review by a Sunday Times writer was ‘excellent as ever’
- Jason claims Nigella is being hypocritical in slagging off his Mayfair eatery
- He pointed out she used to frequently dine in the affluent spot with ex-husband
- Jason branded her ‘public school girl’ who is ‘full of s***’ and ‘trying to look cool’
Jason Atherton has slammed fellow chef Nigella Lawson amid a feud sparked by a negative comment she made about his new restaurant.
The restaurateur, 48, from Worksop, accused Nigella, 59, from London, of being hypocritical after she agreed with a critic who called his latest Mayfair eatery, The Betterment, a ‘w***fest’.
The raging chef branded Nigella a ‘public-school girl’ who is ‘full of s***’, pointing out that she often used to dine in the affluent neighbourhood while married to her former husband, marketing guru Charles Saatchi.
Speaking to The Times, he said Nigella ‘did his head in’ while appearing on TV – and feels she’s only criticising him in order to remain ‘cool’ and ‘relevant’.
Jason Atherton (pictured) has slammed fellow chef Nigella Lawson, amid a feud sparked by a negative comment she made about his new restaurant
Nigella, 59, from London, was branded a ‘hypocrite’ by Jason after agreeing with a critic who called his resturant a ‘w***fest’
‘Nigella is full of s***,’ he told the publication. ‘I was watching her on Saturday on the TV and she does my head in.
‘Some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth — you’ve just read that on the internet. What are you on about?’
Jason claimed that although he didn’t object to the poor review he received, he was furious after Nigella left a comment saying: ‘Excellent, as ever.’
He fumed: ‘Hang on a minute! You eat at Scott’s every day for lunch, you were married to one of the wealthiest men in the country, you didn’t f*****g mind w***y Mayfair then.
‘You’re a f*****g public-school girl. You’re only saying that to try and look cool to stay relevant.’
The original review, by Marina O’Loughlin in The Sunday Times, said the restaurant had ‘no real identity’
Jason fumed after Nigella agreed with the reviewer by commenting her piece was ‘excellent, as ever’
The original review, by Marina O’Loughlin in The Sunday Times, said the restaurant was ‘corporate, bland or over-designed, super-expensive without sparking joy’ with ‘no real identity’.
Jason grew up in a B&B run by his mother and stepfather in Skegness, Lincolnshire and was sharing his tips for the perfect Christmas dinner with The Times.
He has 18 restaurants and bars throughout seven countries and four of the establishments boast Michelin-stars.
Nigella was married to wealthy marketing guru Charles Saatchi before the couple divorced in 2013. Jason pointed out the pair used to dine in Mayfair all the time
Nigella, who is the daughter of British Conservative politician Nigel Lawson and his former wife Vanessa Salmon, was educated at several schools including Ibstock Place School, Queen’s Gate Girls School and Godolphin and Latymer School.
She divorced Saatchi in 2013 and was famously seen looking distressed as her then husband, 76, grabbed her by the throat in 2013, with the images shocking the nation.
The dramatic bust-up at swanky Mayfair restaurant Scott’s saw the couple’s 10-year marriage crumble just weeks later.
Nigella, who soared to fame thanks to her popular cookbooks and seductive presenting technique on her cookery shows, has since told how her confidence took a huge knock in the wake of the events.