Tributes are paid to legendary food critic Egon Ronay as he dies at the age of 94

21 Jun 2010

The Hungarian-born food critic and author of the Good Food Guides will be remembered for the great influence he had in the revolution of the British culinary industry in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Ronay's first guide, published in 1957 and selling 30,000 copies, showed optimism for the potential of British restaurants and transformed British eating habits. It was not only a useful resource for diners; it set a new standard for chefs and restaurateurs to aspire to.

Ronay paved the way for many of the world's top chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc, who said of him, "there’s no doubt that he had a huge, huge influence and he helped British chefs to believe in themselves".

With their power to make or break restaurants, Ronay's guides were instrumental in the vast improvement of British cuisine and the creation of Britain's good food culture. Ronay died on Saturday at his home in Berkshire following an illness.