Ramsay calls for seasonal variation

Chef Gordon Ramsay has called for legislation to ban restaurants from selling fruit and vegetables which are out of season.

Hefty fines should be given to eateries which flout the rule, he said in an interview broadcast today.

"There should be stringent laws - licensing laws - to make sure produce is only used in season," he told Radio 5 Live.

"The quicker we get legislation pushed through the Houses of Parliament, the more unique this country will become in terms of its sourcing and level of inspiration.

"Fruit and veg should be seasonal. Chefs should be fined if they haven't got ingredients in season on the menu."

Ramsay said he wanted to see home-grown produce on menus, not asparagus in December or Kenyan stawberries in March.

"When we haven't got it, take it off the menu," he said.

"Understanding these seasonal aspects makes it 10 times more exciting for punters."

Ramsay said he felt "really concerned" about the subject but admitted he "didn't touch on it too much" when he spoke to Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently.

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