Gordon Ramsay has been pictured forgetting about social distancing as he posed with restaurant staff, while nobody was wearing a face covering.
The Michelin-starred chef, 53, was seen smiling as he stood with 10 other people after having a seafood dinner at Esplanada Furnas in Ericeira, Portugal, on Monday.
Eatery owner Nuno Lourenco has also claimed that Gordon, who enjoyed his ‘exceptional’ food, asked staff to remove their masks before taking the photograph.
Oops: Gordon Ramsay, 53, has been pictured forgetting about social distancing as he posed with restaurant staff in Ericeira, Portugal, on Monday while nobody was wearing a face mask
Nuno revealed that Gordon had dropped in for dinner on Monday by posting the snap on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
He wrote: ‘We had the privilege of receiving one of the most famous chefs in the world.’
Describing his visit as a ‘great surprise’, Nuno told Portuguese daily Observador: ‘I knew he had come to eat fish yet I still asked him what he preferred.
‘All he said was “No, no, you’re going to choose my fish”.’
Quick trip: The chef is thought to have been in Portugal to film on a fishing boat in Peniche north of Lisbon
Surprise visit: The restaurant shared the snap on Facebook on Tuesday, writing: ‘Yesterday we were privileged to receive one of the best chefs in the world’
Revealing the father-of-five had feasted on clams, grilled grouper fish and a home-made apple pie, he added: ‘He made a point afterwards of going over to our grill to say it was exceptional, five star.’
The TV chef, who dined with ‘two foreign men’ according to Portuguese press, posed for a group pic at the door of the restaurant after his meal.
Some of the staff were pictured with their face masks in their hands, but none were wearing any protection and Gordon’s face covering was nowhere to be seen.
MailOnline has contacted Gordon’s representative for a comment.
Keeping busy: During lockdown with his family in Cornwall, Gordon admitted to ‘sneaking off’ for 100km bike rides during lockdown but insists he was not breaking rules
Portugal remains on Britain’s quarantine list after failing to make the list of ‘safe’ countries where people reaching the UK from do not have to self-isolate for 14 days.
It sets Gordon up for a period of quarantine following his trip, which Observador said was work-related and involved filming on a fishing boat in Peniche north of Lisbon.
It is mandatory to wear a face mask while on public transport in Portugal and visitors must also wear them when in confined spaces, reports VistitPortugal.
Family time: The chef spent lots of time at the seaside with his children, including his youngest son Oscar
The absence of any face masks in the photo also raised questions from some locals who saw the snap on social media.
One said in a sarcastic comment on social media: ‘It appears they’re at the door of the restaurant. We all know there’s no problems by the door.’
The restaurant pointed the finger at Ramsey, replying to comments about the face masks by saying: ‘He insisted we take them off.’
The celeb chef spent most of lockdown with his family at their £4million mansion in Trebetherick in Cornwall before returning to London at the end of June.
Close family: Gordon relocated to Cornwall with his family – daughter Megan, 22, twins Jack and Holly, 20, daughter Matilda, 18, and wife Tana, 45 (from left to right) – during the pandemic
The move sparked an outcry among some locals, who weren’t impressed with the family relocating to spend the lockdown by the seaside.
Gordon has admitted to ‘sneaking off’ for 100km bike rides but insisted he broke no rules.
Responding to coastguard warnings in May for being too far from his house, he told the Joe Wicks podcast recently: ‘There was no law to say you had to cycle for an hour and an hour only.
‘They were encouraging you to cycle so I did sneak off on some massive 90km and 100km bike rides.
‘Those rolling hills between here and Newquay, Bude, and Bodmin. Bodmin Moor at half past five in the morning in the middle of Spring, there’s nowhere more beautiful.’
Throwback: (pictured in May)
He added: ‘So what are the coastguard going to do? Think about it. Look after the coastline, let me ride my bike.
‘The coastguard should not be telling me what to do in the middle of the forest on my fricking bike should they?’
‘There was no one on the roads so how the f*** can you complain about me and my little bike when there’s no one on the f****** roads. Come on.’
Portugal vented its fury at Britain on Friday as ministers refused to remove the country from its quarantine list.
It was first left off the list of ‘green’ countries three weeks ago after a spike of cases in and around Lisbon.