Gordon Ramsay, notorious F-bomb dropping British chef, was cleared by UK communications industry watchdog, Ofcom, of breaking broadcasting rules after eating puffins on his UK TV cooking show, The F Word.

In an episode filmed in Iceland, Ramsay was shown “sky fishing”, which is a fancy word for catching the low flying birds with a big net, and then having his guest break the necks of four puffins then skin them.  Ramsay then removed the fresh heart to eat as a raw, Icelandic traditional delicacy.  Later, the barbequed puffins were served with a cucumber salad.

The puffin Ramsay caught was shown biting the chef on the face as it was struggling to get free.  When the host asked his puffin-hunting guest why they couldn’t just shoot the puffins, the answer was “This is more of a sport.”  Well, at least the puffin got a shot in before the bout was over.

Ofcom recieved complaints on the show from viewers and many animal rights groups expressed outrage at the hunting of an endangered species.  The puffin is protected in the UK, but Iceland issues permits to control populations. 

One viewer wrote on the F Word forum: “I caught the last few minutes where to my horror Gordon Ramsay took part in catching and killing puffins. And then he made silly remarks when the terrified bird he caught defended itself and bit him.

“These birds are declining in the UK and to show their killing in another country where it is allowed is irresponsible.

“A very bad move on Gordon’s part to be seen to condone practices in another country that would definitely not be tolerated here.”

Another said: “I was appalled last night watching this rude, arrogant prat amuse himself by catching puffins in an oversized butterfly net.

“Are there no depths he won’t sink to in his quest for the latest gastronomic fad? I don’t care if islanders have eaten them in the past, or if they are considered a delicacy… these birds are adorable, and surely an endangered species?

“To add the final gruesome touch we saw his mentor kill the bird and snap its wings out of joint, ready to pluck. I’m no softie but I felt physically sick to my stomach. I’m delighted Ramsay was bitten, serves the swine right.”

[From Telegraph.co.uk]

The F Word has often featured segments on slaughtering or hunting animals for cooking, and generally, people with weak stomachs aren’t regular viewers.  It’s known as a down to basics and the raw side of culinary type show, as is it’s host.  For that reason, Ofcom has made it’s decision that Gordon Ramsay didn’t break any broadcast rules.

Ofcom said viewers who watched The F Word were used to items featuring the rearing, hunting and killing of animals for food.

The watchdog said the sequence occurred in Iceland, where the puffin is not a protected species and a popular part of the national diet.

The birds were caught and killed in what appeared to be a fast and humane way with minimal suffering, it said.

It did not “consider that this item went beyond the general expectations of the audience for this post-watershed food and cookery programme”.

[From UK MSN]

Post-watershed time in the UK, after 9pm, isn’t always a light-hearted or inoffensive viewing time, but there’s something about the hunting of puffins that wouldn’t be viewable at any time.  It was obviously shocking, and likely puposefully so.