Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

30 Sept 2009 44m

In the first hour of Ramsay's Great British Nightmare special Gordon visits The Dovecote where Mick is a former trucker and burger van operator who has opened a bistro with his wife and adopted daughter, Michelle. Mick, however, has very little cooking ability, using orange squash to make a sauce and microwaving unrefrigerated, vacuum-sealed pre-cooked lamb shanks. Mick is adamant that the problems in the kitchen are not his fault and his stubbornness causes a rift with his wife and daughter. Gordon takes the business matters out of Mick's hands, kicking him out of the kitchen. His daughter, Michelle, is placed in charge of the kitchen. She rises to the challenge and while Mick is not convinced over replacing his microwave food, the reopening is a success. Months later, the restaurant is making profit. Ramsay sends Michelle for further culinary training and she impresses him with freshly cooked food. The restaurant was renamed Martins' Bistro during production.

30 Jan 2009 44m

In the second hour of Ramsay's Great British Nightmare special Gordon visits The Runaway Girl. The kitchen does no preparation work before service, as Justin has had Richie pre-cook all the meals in advance to prevent wastage. Richie launches a heated tirade about Justin's inability to listen to criticism, threatening to resign if the restaurant does not immediately improve. Gordon employs a mystery diner to assess the service and despite Justin claiming to recognize their purpose, botches the service. After helping Justin and Richie make amends, he refurbishes the restaurant and renames it Silversmiths, bans live music and, realizing that they have no chance of competing against local Spanish restaurants, changes the focus to modern British cuisine. Before Gordon’s revisit, he sends another mystery diner to the restaurant, who gives a positive assessment of the service. Justin has stuck to the changes, and Richie has found a new passion for food.