Jay Rayner

Jay Rayner is a renowned British journalist, food critic, and author known for his impactful commentary on the culinary world and broader cultural topics. After beginning his career as a researcher and diary columnist at ‘The Observer’ in 1988, Jay Rayner swiftly established himself as a versatile journalist. He contributed freelance to publications such as ‘The Independent on Sunday’ and ‘The Mail on Sunday’, also serving as a sex columnist for ‘Cosmopolitan’. Rayner returned to ‘The Observer’ as a generalist in 1996, before being appointed restaurant critic in March 1999, a pivotal role he held for 25 years.

From 2009 to 2016, he presented nearly 200 films for BBC One’s ‘The One Show’, significantly broadening his public profile. During this period, he also released ‘My Dining Hell’ (2012), ‘A Greedy Man In a Hungry World’ (2014), and ‘The Ten (Food) Commandments’ in 2016. In 2012, Rayner founded his own jazz ensemble, the Jay Rayner Quartet. In 2017, Rayner’s highly critical review of Paris restaurant Le Cinq went viral, solidifying his reputation as ‘the world’s most feared food critic.’ That same year, the Jay Rayner Quartet released their live album, ‘A Night of Food and Agony’.

Demonstrating his culinary expertise, Rayner won the ‘MasterChef: Battle of the Critics’ edition in 2023. His latest non-fiction release, ‘Nights Out at Home’, was published in 2024. After a remarkable 25-year tenure at ‘The Observer’, Rayner announced his departure in 2024, embarking on a new chapter as restaurant critic for the ‘Financial Times’, a role he will commence in March 2025.