Thursday night was probably a nervous and sleepless night for the chefs in the Burlington Hotel. It was difficult enough cooking for around 1,000 of the best and brightest of Dublin business at yesterday's Dublin Chamber of Commerce Christmas dinner, but when one of those guests was celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, even the toughest and most confident cook would feel a slight nervousness coming into work.

Among the guests there was a steady business in betting when the first swear word would emanate from the lips of the world's most feared chef in his after-dinner speech.

Those who gambled on less than 10 words would not have been disappointed.

A lacklustre response to Gordon Ramsay's opening greeting of ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon was followed by "That was c**p!" And that set the tone for the rest of the speech.

Ramsay was like Michael O'Leary on speed, but with rival chefs, competing restaurants, food critics, the French and Celtic supporters all bearing the brunt of his f-word fuelled oration, it was not for the faint-hearted. Very few were spared.

Not even Pat Kenny, for whom he said he'd bought "a box of sense of humour" as a Christmas present, or top restaurant Patrick Guilbaud escaped his sarcastic swipes. He joked that he was doing a show from a restaurant in Dublin.

"We changed the chef, changed the decor, put the prices down. It's called Guilbauds."

Ramsay regaled his guests with the behind-the-scenes stories of his cooking empire and his dealings with the food critics - once famously ejecting food critic AA Gill and his dining companion Joan Collins. He even admitted to a few mistakes, such as congratulating a couple in one of his restaurants on their engagement.

"But he hadn't f*****g asked her yet!"

His Gordon Ramsay Holdings company is now turning over £73 million. The secret of success is never to take things for granted.

"Customers vote with their feet. They don't ring you up to tell you they're not coming back."

And for those who want a taste of his culinary skills, the fiery Scot promised he'll open in Dublin in the future.