Ramsay protege dishes up revenge

The feud between Gordon Ramsay and his former protege Marcus Wareing (pictured together in happier times) has reached boiling point with publication of the new Harden's guide to London Restaurants. The guide, which is based on the reports of 8,000 diners, names Wareing's Petrus restaurant the finest in London for food and service - beating Restaurant Gordon Ramsay into second place for the first time in eight years.

The news will be all the more annoying for Ramsay because it was he who started Petrus, which is housed at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, with Wareing as his partner. Recently, the owners of the hotel decided they wanted Wareing to run the show alone. When his partnership with Ramsay ends on September 14, Wareing will rename the venue Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley.

Harden's described Petrus, which has two Michelin stars, as "sublime" and better "across the board" than Ramsay's three Michelin star dining room. Wareing, 38, has only one restaurant, and many believe that it his singular focus which has allowed him to eclipse his mentor, who is thought to have overstretched himself in his bid to create a global culinary empire.

Wareing has made no secret of his hatred for the foul-mouthed Ramsay, whom he dismissed in an interview earlier this month as a "celebrity chef". He said the Scot had held back his career and he would "lose no sleep" if they never met again.