Top Saturday Kitchen star fights back tears as he pays tribute to famous ‘best mate’ chef following tragic passing

A FAN-FAVOURITE Saturday Kitchen prima choked backmost tears arsenic helium paid tribute to his precocious "best mate" and chap cook unrecorded connected air.

The affectional scenes played retired connected the BBC One series, prompting a sympathetic "awww" from big Matt Tebbutt, 51, and the remainder of the guests.

Italian foodie Gennaro Contaldo's heartbreaking connection came aft a light-hearted infinitesimal wherever he caused chaos connected the Saturday Kitchen set.

Yet the humorous code of the amusement rapidly switched aft helium whipped up a crockery with Matt and switched to a pre-recorded segment.

Matt introduced it and said: Gennaro, you are the prima of this adjacent film.

"Would you similar to present it?"

Gennaro, 75, replied: "Yeah, present is maine and my champion person Antonio Carluccio successful my location municipality Amalfi, cooking up a Neapolitan ragu.

"Antonio loved it truthful much."

Holding up his hands to the sky, Gennaro added: "And I miss him truthful much."

Matt said: "Awww," earlier placing a manus connected his heart.

He past urged: "Have a look," arsenic the duo's cooking conception from yesteryear played out.

Antonio, who was dubbed the godfather of Italian gastronomy, passed distant aged 80 successful 2017.

It came aft helium suffered a autumn astatine his home.

At the time, a connection from the chef's cause stated: "It is with large sadness that we denote that Commendatore Antonio Carluccio OBE sadly passed distant this morning."

A regular connected TV shows similar Saturday Morning Kitchen, the cook was the laminitis of Carluccio's edifice chain, moving it into a £90million empire with 90 restaurants and much than 3,200 employees.

He besides received the Commendatore, the equivalent of a British knighthood, from the Italian authorities successful 1998 for services to Italy.

KITCHEN CHAOS

Earlier successful the occurrence Gennaro, who was mentor to Brit cook Jamie Oliver, origin chaos arsenic helium criticised Matt's cooking.

Things took an hilarious crook erstwhile big Matt was showing histrion Emilia Fox however to navigator a risotto.

It each started arsenic the presenter ran done his ingredients and mentioned that the crockery would person pick successful it.

Already sensing this would annoy celebrity chef Gennaro, with a grin connected his look Matt held up the dairy to amusement him.

This was excessively overmuch for the Italian, who DID NOT hold pick should ever beryllium utilized successful risotto.

He could beryllium heard exclaiming: "Mamma mia! Stop there!

"Why would you privation to enactment pick wrong your risotto?

"Tell me? Why?"

Gennaro past walked implicit to the cooking are and snatched the pick distant leaving Matt and Emilia successful stitches.

As helium confiscated the ingredient, helium shook his caput and said: “I americium sorry!”

Yet Matt vowed to get the point back, leaving Gennaro to utter "Mamma Mia," successful objection.