Gordon Ramsay has braved being sent to The Tower by daring to attack the standard of Buckingham Palace grub in a expletive-laden rant.

The celebrity chef said the food served on behalf of the Queen during a visit to the Queen's London residence was s***, with the canapes being singled out as "shockingly s***". The morsels looked "prehistoric" and took forever to swallow, he added.

The quality of food at Buckingham Palace came in for a roasting during an interview with US chat show king Jay Leno on Thursday's Tonight programme.

"You don't actually know who's cooking for the Queen, but I'd never employ him because the food was s***", Ramsay said.

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He continued: "The food was s*** but she was lovely. Unfortunately you've got to go through the ceremony with the canapes which are absolutely, shockingly s***. They looked prehistoric, like 300 years old, at Buckingham Palace."

The duck liver pate served to him in royal company came in for special criticism.

"I was trying to get rid of it as I was approaching her because this thing was taking forever to chew," he said. "You couldn't spit it out on the carpet, for God's sake."

Ramsay was given an OBE in 2006 for services to the British hospitality industry. The Scot received his gong at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, rather than in London.

His comments are unlikely to be welcomed, however, by chief royal chef Mark Flanagan and his 20-strong kitchen staff.

Flanagan, who took up the post in 2002, is also known for his fiery temperament in the kitchen.

A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace declined to respond to Ramsay's criticisms. But an article on the Royal Family's official website pays tribute to Flanagan's work, stating: "Mark Flanagan and his team are called upon on a daily basis to provide food of the highest standard.

"The state apartments provide a splendid venue for a luncheon hosted by the Queen, and it is the Royal chefs who are charged with the responsibility of making sure the food is just as special."

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