Gordon Ramsay defends decision not to let children fly first class

“I do not want them sat there with a 10 course f***ing menu with champagne”

The Ramsay family (Getty Images)

Gordon Ramsay caused a stir last month when he revealed he and his wife fly first class but he insists his children sit in economy.

“They haven’t worked anywhere near hard enough to afford that,” he said.

And now the top chef, who is reportedly worth £30 million, has defended his comments.

“I have got to keep it real with the kids,” he said. “And also I think just getting kids at the age of five, six and seven, used to first class and those big seats, they do not need the space, they get entertainment on their iPads.”

“So I like to think about what you can do with the money when you land, rather than paying out thousands of dollars for eight, nine ten-year-olds to sit in first class.”

That’s all very well, but Ramsay’s children are now 18 (Megan), 17 (Jack and Holly) and 15 (Matilda).

“I do not want them sat there with a 10 course f***ing menu with champagne,” Ramsay explained to The Mirror.

“I am not embarrassed. It is my wife [Tana] and I’s choice to discipline them and to keep them real.”

Ramsay is known for his no-nonsense attitude in the kitchen so it’s perhaps unsurprising that he’s raising his children in a similar way.

“They have a completely different life than I did growing up. I worked my arse off to get out of the s*** mess that I grew up in and they’re grateful, they’re not spoilt,” he told The Telegraph.

Tana, Megan, Gordon and Holly Ramsay at the Teen Choice Awards 2016

Ramsay has also disclosed that his children will not inherit any of his fortune in his will:

“It’s definitely not going to them, and that’s not in a mean way; it’s to not spoil them,” he said. “The only thing I’ve agreed with Tana is they get a 25 per cent deposit on a flat, but not the whole flat.

“I’ve been super lucky, having that career for the last 15 years in the US. Seriously, it has earned a fortune and I’ve been very lucky, so I respect everything I’ve got.”

In a Reddit discussion earlier this year, Ramsay was asked how he keeps his children well-adjusted while working so hard, and he replied:

“I've never been at home seven nights a week cooking for the kids. What I've instilled in the kids, from day one, is a work ethic. So, the time we spend together is limited, but it's quality.

“I need to protect them and respect the restaurant and team in my restaurant. I made them as normal as possible… They've all got jobs, they've all taken care of animals, they've all got housework.”

And maybe one day they’ll earn enough money of their own to join their parents at the front of the plane.