Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars: Sussex contestant reveals what working with world-famous chef is like after episode one airs on BBC One

Craig Stocker, who owns the two Georgi Fin pubs in Goring-by-Sea and Rustington, was chosen to take part in series two of Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars.

One contender is eliminated from the show each week and the prize for the last person standing is a £150,000 investment from the TV and Michelin starred chef.

“It’s a mad experience,” Craig told SussexWorld, in an exclusive interview. “One minute you’re working in Goring Road, the next you’re working with the biggest chef in the world.

"It’s a massive opportunity that doesn’t come along very often for many people. For me, it was absolutely terrifying at the same time.

"But you push yourself out of your comfort zone. To appear on TV with Gordon Ramsay is daunting but, already for me, rewarding. I’m finding it really exciting.”

Craig, 39, said he was chosen to take part following an intense application process, involving thousands of people.

He said he was excited but nervous to be chosen, adding: “I felt a bit scared, obviously, because I have worked so hard to create a business from scratch and I’ve now put my head on a chopping board. For me, it’s exciting and daunting at the same time.

"I’m a drinks guy. For me to throw myself into challenges around food, I have to showcase what I’ve learned in my career and swap the products.

“For me, it was pretending a steak was a beer. I’m honing in on what I’ve learned over the last six years in business, transferring it into that environment. It’s pressurised as you’ve got a camera in your face at the same time.

"However it turns out, for people in Rustington to be drinking in a place which Gordon Ramsay said is one of the best businesses that year, can only be a good thing for the area, for me and for the business. I’m really proud of it.”

Episode one aired last Thursday evening on BBC One (March 30) and was set at a luxury hotel in Scotland. Gordon, after arriving at Glenapp Castle on a motorbike, said he personally handpicked the contenders.

He said: “I’ve studied all your businesses. All of you have some of the most exciting food and drink businesses anywhere in the UK.

"The competition this year is fierce. Eight weeks from now, I’m going to invest £150,000 of my own cash into one of you.

"It’s not just about the money. It’s about tapping into my experience, my whole network – with one of the best marketing and digital teams with over 100 million followers on social media. The sky is the limit. Get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Craig and the other 11 contestants were tasked with preparing a banquet for 30 special guests. Gordon said he expected ‘nothing less than perfection’ from the participants but there were multiple mishaps.

Craig’s team won the challenge but one of his teammates, Sophie – who runs an Essex-based vegan nut milk iced coffee business – was the first contestant chosen by Gordon to leave the show.

Gordon’s discontent started when Sophie chose to add elderflower to whiskey – against Craig’s better judgement.

Speaking to the camera before the challenge started, Craig said: “I own two bars, so I would love to do the cocktail and canape. I sell drinks for a living. I stand behind a bar in two different joint that are busy all the time, serving whiskey. I know people like whiskey and we’re in Scotland.”

Another teammate Amy, who owns Topped Artisan Blondies in Stockton-On-Tees, said: “Me and Craig are definitely on the same page. I trust him. That’s his job. I wasn’t expecting so much pushback [from Sophie].”

Gordon questioned Sophie’s addition of elderflower, adding: “I would never put elderflower in a whiskey. That’s not making sense. They are accepting one and other’s participation. In business, you need to be stern. Stand by your convictions and set a standard that everything else falls in line with.”

Reflecting on the conversation, Craig said: “I feel a little bit disappointed in myself that I didn’t stick to my guns. I’ll be putting a much bigger kick of whiskey in it.”

Gordon’s infamous anger and abruptness was ever present in episode one. At one point, he told the opposing team: “No one is setting a standard. I’m begging for a standard. If no one can give me a standard, please go home.”

He told Craig and the rest of the serving team they were ‘underprepared and disorganised from the get go’. He then broke the news that Sophie, 23 – the youngest contestant – was ‘out of her depth’ and would be the first to go home.

"There’s not many people you will meet in your life when everyone stops when they walk into a room,” Craig said, when asked what Gordon Ramsay is like in person.

"He’s great. He’s got that thing about him where everyone knows he’s the boss.

"You can see people were nervous in the first episode. You don’t want to get shouted at but you are probably going to at some stage. That’s because of who he is and how he’s got to where he is.

"He’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s an extremely successful person. To be surrounded by a businessman of that magnitude – even just to talk about your business – is something quite special.

"To spend time learning with him is a bonus. The whole set up is to expose you to every element of business.

"When you're in a group of people that are entrepreneurial and work for themselves, you are going to get a clash of heads and a few egos. You’ve got to learn how to deal with it. I’m just grateful to be there.

“I’ve watched the episode six or seven times now and it weirdly becomes normal when you’re in that environment for so long. We’ve done it for exposure and it’s fun. I had a really good time.”

Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars continues on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday (April 6). Episode One is available to watch on-demand via the BBC iPlayer.