Saturday Kitchen viewers were left unimpressed earlier today (May 8) over comments made by guest Rukmini Iyer.
The lawyer-turned-chef appeared on the beloved BBC series to chat about her latest book.
While cooking a meal for the rest of the team, Rukmini opened up about the impact her recipes have had.
She’s sold almost a million copies of one of her cookbooks around the world, and she revealed she gets messages from fans all the time.
What upset Saturday Kitchen viewers?
Rukmini said the best messages are ones from adults who buy the books for their parents who have never bothered to embrace cooking.
She said: “I get messages like: ‘My dad is super old, he’s never cooked in his life but then he got your book!'”
Read more: Naga Munchetty on Saturday Kitchen: Host Matt Tebbutt addresses uproar
When questioned how old she meant, Rukmini replied: “You know, like 70, super old. Super old! But it’s just nice as you’re simplifying the cooking process so it’s easy.”
Viewers were left unimpressed with the chef’s remarks.
And, as a result, many rushed to social media to hit out at the “ageist” comment.
‘70 is super-old’ Rukmini Iyar has just managed to insult a large chunk of the viewers. 😱#SaturdayKitchen #rukminiiyer
— Marcia Reid (@Finchershealth) May 8, 2021
Very nasty remark by ‘chef’ on #SaturdayKitchen #superold how old is that? ‘Oh over 70’ #nastywoman #ageist remark #RubbishChef #buymybooks
— bleak house cottage (@mariakilloran) May 8, 2021
70 isn’t even old, let alone”super old”. #SaturdayKitchen
— Silly (@SillyFizzy) May 8, 2021
https://twitter.com/Christopher_T42/status/1390968589600051203?s=20
What did viewers say?
“Super old!! How bloody insulting! #SaturdayKitchen,” tweeted one fan.
“70 isn’t even old!” ranted another.
Super old!! How bloody insulting!
While a third added: “Jeez, guess I’m old!!”
One particularly angry viewer suggested that she was going to “burn” her copy of Rukmini’s cookbook.
“Very nasty remark by ‘chef’ on #SaturdayKitchen #superold how old is that? ‘Oh over 70’ #nastywoman #ageist remark #RubbishChef #buymybooks!”
Naga Munchetty Saturday Kitchen backlash
It’s not the first time the show has come under fire from viewers.
In February, BBC Breakfast hosts Naga appeared on Saturday Kitchen alongside her co-star Charlie Stayt.
However, the pair both took flak from viewers after they disrupted the show.
From demanding wine and fresh oysters and mocking host Matt Tebbutt at every opportunity, to snatching his questions away from him, the show descended into chaos.
Read more: BBC Breakfast: Naga Munchetty praised as she shuts down troll who called her ‘overpaid witch’
However, even when Naga told Matt the show would be “better without you” the host seemed to take the ribbing in good spirit.
But many fans didn’t agree, with some calling her “annoying”.
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