BBC Saturday Kitchen fans issue warning to host Matt Tebbutt over 'raw' chicken dish

Viewers of Saturday Kitchen advised host Matt Tebbutt to be cautious, following the latest episode when celebrity chef Richard Bainbridge whipped up what some deemed a “raw” meat dish.

The BBC culinary weekend favourite, steered by 50-year-old Matt, featured the chef preparing what was intended to be a delectable feast for their famous guests, among whom were actor Vanessa Williams, chef Ran Shmueli, baker Crystelle Pereira, and wine connoisseur Helen McGinn.

However, as the chef presented his roasted guinea fowl with accompanying roasted pistachio rice, heritage carrots, and shellfish bisque, viewers couldn't help but comment on what appeared to be undercooked poultry.

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Spectators quickly took notice that when slicing into the bird, the flesh looked "raw" and "bloody", prompting an instant outpouring of apprehension across social media platforms, reports the Express.

One person wrote on X: "#SaturdayKitchen not a good advert for his restaurant if he serves half-cooked food."

Another viewer shared: "#SaturdayKitchen that chicken is NOT cooked. Too pink and the legs are bloody!" A third chimed in adding: “Raw chicken! Nice one #SaturdayKitchen.”

A fourth chimed in with: “I’m selling my restaurant on national tv. I’ll show you how to cook a nice raw chicken [cry-laughing emoji].” Meanwhile, a fifth urged the chef: “I think he should’ve cooked that guinea fowl for 50 minutes to an hour... #sturdaykitchen.”

Despite the criticism from fans at home, the guests showered the cook with compliments on his lavish dish. Matt enthused: "This is delicious, and the weirdness with the shellfish and the guinea fowl is not weird at all. It's just rich."

Vanessa was equally impressed, remarking: "This is so good, it's amazing" while fellow chef Ran Shmueli added: "What a beautiful day. The birds are singing, the sun is shining and the food is amazing. Usually it gets dry a little bit but this one is made to perfection."

Meanwhile, amidst speculation about who will replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef after his dismissal from the BBC series over misconduct allegations, Matt gave a cryptic response.

Gregg Wallace initially took a step back from the hit cooking show in November as the allegations surfaced. In his stead, the recent episodes of Celebrity MasterChef were hosted by food critic Grace Dent alongside veteran judge John Torode.

During a stint on the Grilled by the Staff Canteen podcast, where Matt was posed questions regarding a potential MasterChef hosting role, he conceded: "It's going to stop at some point. I'm going to have to do something."

Back in March, an insider spilled the beans to The Sun about MasterChef chiefs banking on Matt to "make it his own", revealing he was in discussions to co-host the culinary competition with John. The source divulged: "Matt rose to the challenge of coming into Saturday Kitchen after it was previously hosted by another big name in the world of food, James Martin.

"He managed the feat of making it his own and almost making viewers forget who his predecessor was - now Beeb bosses, and the show producers Banijay - will be hoping he can work the same magic on MasterChef."

Saturday Kitchen is on BBC One Saturdays an 10am and on BBC iPlayer