Heswall top chef and Burnt Truffle guy Gary Usher doesn't mince his words about maskless PM

Given that Gary Usher is the power behind restaurants like Hoole's 'Sticky Walnut' and Heswall's 'Burnt Truffle', you might be forgiven for thinking that 'Bleached Slug' is the name of a new gastronomic venture of his, possibly supported by a crowdfunding campaign like the one that's raised more than £170,000 for his company's new 'eat at home' and events business.

But no, 'bleached slug' is how Gary described Boris Johnson on seeing video footage of the Prime Minister celebrating Harry Kane's goal that put England two up against Germany.

The reason? Gary was incensed that the PM seemed to him to have scant regard for COVID rules.

In language as colourful as many of his excellent dishes, Gary took to twitter to say: "I don't want to be pedantic but @kala_manchester [one of the Elite Bistros eateries] is closed down because we are following your rules so sit down at a ****ing table & put a ****ing mask on you bleached slug."

This provoked a debate about the rules, as one commenter observed: "I mean I agree completely…however, he is outside isn't he???"

To which Gary Usher responded: "He's in some kind of marquee so his own ****ing rules state he should be seated and If not seated wearing a mask to walk around."

Another also questioned if Gary had misinterpreted the rules, saying the PM was "in a workplace where access is restricted to employees, not an entertainment venue open to the general public. Different rules apply because there is less mixing of people."

While another observer questioned the veracity of the footage - at the top of this page - in which the Prime Minister became increasingly excited as the move which led to Harry Kane's goal developed: "They rewound the Sky+ for that to stage the reaction. Look at the fellas behind him, they barely move. Everything about him is a fraud, even his hair."

Let's face it, the COVID rules, as former Health Secretary Matt Hancock discovered, are difficult to follow - ahem - though it's clear that as the end of restrictions remains something that could still be snatched away from us, there will be very close scrutiny of the behaviour of those that devise our strategy - especially by those in the hospitality industry, which feels particularly let down.

The most recent government advice includes the following: "We are asking people to consider not just what they can do – what the law allows them to do – but what they should do – what is the right thing to do to minimise the spread of coronavirus. In particular, we ask you to:

- please try and be restrained in how many different people you see. It is better to see the same small group of people regularly than to see lots of different people occasionally

- avoid doing activities that might increase the risk of transmission (for example shouting to be heard over loud music, or singing in close proximity to others)