Ramsay pub squatters to dish out free food
Hell’s Kitchen star can’t force them out
SQUATTERS in celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s closed £13million gastro pub say they are dishing up free food for the homeless.
The group are offering soup at the once-glitzy York and Albany – which in its heyday charged £9 for a bowlful.
Details of the charity scheme came to light soon after it emerged that Hell’s Kitchen star Ramsay’s shuttered site had been occupied.
The former hotspot, near London’s Regents Park, was a favourite of celebs like Spice Girl
Emma Bunton and Olympic rower
Matthew Pinsent.
But at least half a dozen squatters moved in after the venue shut last month. One
told us yesterday: “We are occupying this property under squatting law, which is our right.
“We run a free cafe for the community on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Art and food are integral aspects of what we do.” The group says it is accepting donations and two crates of potatoes were left on the doorstep yesterday.
A mask-clad man seen leaving added: “There are lots of misconceptions about who we are and why we’re here but this is about helping people.”
A mum living at the site with her teenage son said: “I’m here with others because of the housing crisis in London. We have nowhere to live because our house burned down.”
Ramsay, 57, was about to sign over a multi-millionpound lease to new partners when six “experienced squatters” broke in.
The potty-mouthed chef, who was in a legal battle over the place in 2015, called police
last week but has been unable to have them removed.
A legal notice taped on the building threatens action against anyone who tries to force them out. Ramsay, who was yesterday said to be “at the end of his tether”, was contacted for comment.