Celebrity chef Rick Stein has blamed food inflation and rising energy costs after charging customers £2 for condiments at his fish and chip restaurant in Cornwall.
Customers have been left stunned after being asked to pay extra for mayonnaise, tartar sauce and mushy peas at the Padstow eatery.
A spokeswoman for the celebrity chef defended Stein’s Fish and Chips’ decision to charge customers an extra £2 for condiments, claiming it was due to the current economic climate.
“Our homemade spices using Rick Stein’s special recipes are prepared in Padstow by our team of chefs. Food inflation, energy costs, along with rising wages, have driven production costs up significantly,” she said.
“We, along with many others, have reluctantly had to pass some of the costs on to our customers.”
A portion of cod and chips at Stein’s Fish and Chips in Padstow costs £16.95, while its online menu lists sea bass and chips for £18.95. Customers can add a side of mushy peas for an extra £2.
Several people have expressed their “disappointment” at the prospect of paying for condiments, and some have suggested “boycotting” the eatery.
“Rick Stein charges £2 for a bag of mayonnaise for his £17.95 takeaway cod and chips in Padstow,” wrote journalist Rebecca Tidy on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Cornwall’s gap between rich and poor is massive.”
Another X user wrote: “This is pure greed, customers should vote with their feet at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant and boycott it.”