In recent years, chefs have become celebrities on the same level as musicians, actors and reality-TV stars. In July of 2012 Forbes released a list of the Highest Earning Celebrity Chefs. Topping the list was Gordon Ramsay with earnings of an estimated $38 million in the past 12 months. (They do suggest, though, that he is probably more widely-known for his foul mouth and kitchen behaviour than for his food!) Jamie Oliver is probably the UK’s most famous chef and, according to a 2012 This is Money article, the world’s richest cook, worth a whopping £150 million at that stage.

Famous though they may be, we’re on fairly intimate terms with these chefs. They live in our kitchens, in our bookshelves and come alive on our televisions. They guide our hands as we dice, chop, cube, slice, mix and fold. Having met their creators on screen, we feel we can trust the recipes implicitly.

To help you compete for bragging rights, we’ve come up with a list of our favourite celebrity chef recipes. Find your idol and cook like one.

Starters

Ariana Bundy’s cold cucumber soup

Jenny Morris’s smoked paprika potato soup

Rachel Allen’s broccoli soup with parmesan toasts

Reuben Riffel’s grilled oysters with horseradish crème fràiche and parsley butter

Mains

Adam Liaw’s Gong Bao Chicken

Antonio Carluccio’s chicken liver pasta

Antonio Carluccio’s mushroom risotto

Antonio Carluccio’s red mullet with tomatoes

Ed Baines’s poached turbot and clam saffron

George Calombaris’ mussels spanakopita

Giorgio Locatelli’s cod in sea-salt and herbs

Gordon Ramsay’s fish pie with oysters and scallops

Gordon Ramsay’s stuffed chicken breasts

Gordon Ramsay’s stuffed squid with pork

Hayden Quinn’s Thai fish balls on a stick 

Jamie Oliver’s Chorizo carbonara Catalan market salad

Jamie Oliver’s flash steak and salsa picante

Jamie Oliver’s golden chicken with braised greens and potato gratin

Jenny Morris’s Christmas gammon

Liam Tomlin’s barbeque pork

Jenny Morris’s Saharan lamb stuffed with cous-cous and fruit

Reza Mahammad’s chicken with apricots and potato straws

Valentine Warner’s Coq au vin

Desserts

Annie Bell’s angel cake 

Ariana Bundy’s ice in heaven

James Martin’s baked pear and honey tart

James Martin’s sticky toffee pudding

Jenny Morris’s Moroccan rice pudding

Rachel Allen’s chocolate and hazelnut caramel bars

Rachel Allen’s iced vanilla cupcakes

Rachel Allen’s Greek almond crescents

By Kelly Pluke

Sweet tooth? Linda Scarborough was lucky enough to meet Eric Lanlard earlier this year. Read her interview with the Cake Boy.