Who is Jay Rayner? MasterChef 2018 guest judge and food critic
BRITISH journalist Jay Rayner is an award-winning restaurant critic.
Many will also recognise the picky foodie from his TV appearances on shows like MasterChef. But what do we really know about the star?
Who is Jay Rayner?
The 51-year-old was born in London and raised in the Sudbury Hill area of Harrow, north west London.
Alongside his politics degree at the University of Leeds, the talented writer was the editor of the student newspaper.
After graduating from his studies, he embarked on a career in national newspaper reporting and was soon named as Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards.
Jay’s words have since featured in dozens of publications, including GQ, Esquire, Cosmopolitan and the New Statesman.
He also works as The Observer’s restaurant critic.
What books has Jay Rayner written?
As well as being an impressive food writer, Rayner has a flair for penning drama.
His works of fiction include The Oyster House Siege, which tells the story of a restaurant ambushed by gunmen.
Jay has also released non-fiction books, including Star Dust Falling, A Greedy Man in a Hungry World and The Man Who Ate The World.
What TV shows has Jay Rayner been on?
Many people will recognise Jay from his regular spot on the daytime cookery show Eating with the Enemy.
He’s also made regular appearances on MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and Food.
The telly personality definitely doesn’t mince his words, which has earned him the nickname Acid Rayner, which pokes fun at his sour demeanour.
Despite this, fans were recently disappointed that he didn't rip into a cooking show contestant for serving him an un-set dessert.
As well as hosting cooking shows, Jay has made appearances on The One Show, Mastermind and Newsnight.
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What else is Jay Rayner famous for?
Rayner doesn’t limit his successes to just writing and television, as he’s also a star of the radio.
He won a Sony Radio Award for presenting BBC Radio Five Live’s Papertalk.
You can also listen to the foodie on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet.
Even though Jay is good at dishing out the criticism, he doesn’t seem to be very good at taking it himself.
Following a disastrous interview on talkSPORT last year, the TV personality began blocking everyone who dared to mention the cringe-worthy segment.