Saturday Morning Kitchen viewers were glued to their screens this weekend when things took an uncomfortable turn as Matt Tebbutt served a classic Italian dish.
BBC’s Saturday Kitchen studio descended into chaos when guest chef Gennaro Contaldo took umbrage at one of Matt Tebbutt’s recipes.
The row began over a seemingly simple risotto Matt was demonstrating for Silent Witness star Emilia Fox, 50, on the latest edition of the BBC show (January 11).
Matt, 51, assured the actress it was a quick and easy dish to cook but Gennaro, 75, felt compelled to interject after Matt added stock to the rice and, after a “furious” heat, instructed to let it to cool in the fridge for a day.
“You could even make the rice a couple of months before,” Gennaro snapped sarcastically. For her part Emilia saw the funny side enquiring: “So this is a two day risotto? I thought this was a quick and easy dish!”
Matt implored Gennaro, “stop making trouble,” as he pulled Emilia away from the celebrity chef. As they bickered, the Silent Witness star couldn’t help but quip: “This is a risotto-off!”
Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt demonstrated how to make a risotto (Image: BBC)
While things briefly settled down, Gennaro felt compelled to interfere again when Matt produced some cream that he wanted to the dish.
Gennaro exclaimed: “Mama Mia! Stop there. Why would you want to put cream in risotto?! In Italy, they will give him 25 years!”
He was so infuriated by this addition to the recipe he walked over and stole the jug of cream away from Matt who was forced to send Emilia to retrieve it.
As Matt continued to cook his dish, Gennaro’s complaints increased in their fury and he even added another five years to his hypothetical jail sentence: “30 years in prison!””
He slammed the dish as: “The most difficult risotto I’ve ever seen in my entire life!” Emilia disagreed however calling the dish: “The most fun risotto I’ve ever had!”
Gennaro Contaldo disagreed with Matt Tebbutt’s risotto recipe (Image: BBC)
Viewers felt compelled to air their own feelings and took to social media to react to the “car crash” falling out as the studio descended “into chaos.”
One wrote excitedly: “This Italian uncle is kicking off!” As the cream was added, a secondpredicted a “diplomatic incident kicking off” while a third observed it was: “How to make an Italian spontaneously combust 101 right here.”
A fourth wrote: “Absolute chaos today – got to love an Italian chef getting angry #saturdaykitchen.” A fifth chimed in: “Gennaro is the guvnor when it comes to Italian cooking #saturdaykitchen.”
Meanwhile a sixth admitted the furore had made it “unwatchable”, commenting: “Emilia Fox constantly interrupting with attempts at humour, Genaro going ‘OTT Italian’ & Matt unable to demo this recipe has made one of my favourite Saturday morning programs unwatchable #SaturdayKitchen.”
