Tom Kime has issued the following apology in response to the complaints received after he was heard swearing on Saturday Kitchen:

“Having worked for some of the most notoriously foulmouthed, abusive and violent chefs as a young man, I made a conscious decision. When I was punched and kicked and had hot pans and plates thrown at me, I decided that would not be me. I would never abuse the trust of someone who wanted to learn from me. I would never raise my voice, stamp my feet and madly hop about, and I would definitely not take out my anger or frustration on someone else. Instead I have always tried to keep my head, and calmly deal with the situation. I am proud of the fact that I am not a shouting egotistical chef who revels in the abuse of their staff. However I feel that I have let the public and myself down, by being tarred with the same brush as some of the bullies.

I have represented Tom Kime a number of years now and I have to say the man is truly a gentleman.  That he has survived the abusiveness of a number of kitchens over the years is only testament to his willingness and ability to succeed in one of the toughest careers a person can choose.  Following his training experience he vowed to himself long ago never to treat people the way he had occasionally been treated himself, so the only thing he’ll swear at is inanimate objects like eggs, and never people.  And there’s a difference – think on the one hand about Tom swearing at the omelette, then recall a scene from one of Gordon’s more angry TV episodes and you’ll get what I mean.  It’s the latter type of swearing that makes me uncomfortable.

Dean Edwards has recently signed up as one of This Morning’s regular chefs, delighting Phil and Holly with his culinary creations!