BBC Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt left red-faced after awkward moment with Mary McCartney

Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt was left red-faced on the BBC show after he made an awkward blunder with guest Mary McCartney, who is a vegetarian, during the latest episode

Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt was quick to apologise after an awkward exchange with vegetarian guest Mary McCartney on the show's latest episode, which aired on October 5. The Saturday morning programme featured Matt alongside culinary expert Theo Randall, actress Michelle Keegan, and Mary McCartney, who is renowned for her vegetarian cookbooks and is the daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney.

Wine expert Olly Smith was also on hand to pair wines with the dishes being prepared. The awkward interaction took place shortly after the show started, while Matt and Theo were preparing a mussel and tagliatelle dish in the studio kitchen. During a discussion about mussels, Matt inadvertently put Mary on the spot regarding her stance on shellfish, apparently forgetting her vegetarian principles that exclude meat and fish.

"Mary, where do you stand on a mussel? " he asked, leading to Mary's slightly uncomfortable reply, "I don't eat them..." before Matt quickly corrected himself, saying: "Being a vegetarian."

"I don't eat them," Mary reiterated. She went on to discuss previous debates over whether mussels feel pain due to their lack of a brain or nervous system, stating: "We have had debates in the past of the fact they don't have a brain or a nervous system, I don't think," reports Birmingham Live.

Matt could only respond with an awkward "Right," as he continued cooking, while Mary confirmed, "I don't eat them." Matt expressed his regret over the misunderstanding, simply saying "Sorry" and returning to his cooking tasks. Mary then skillfully redirected the question back at him, asking with a friendly grin, "How do you feel about them? ".

Matt enthusiastically responded that he was quite fond of mussels. Viewers were quick to notice the interaction. On X, previously known as Twitter, a viewer joked: "How'd the show go today, Matt? 'Well, I asked Mary McCartney if she liked mussels or not; that went well'."

While Mary is primarily a photographer, the 55-year-old has written several cookbooks and is a prominent vegetarian. She co-founded the global vegetarian movement, Meat Free Monday, with her father and sister, while her mother, Linda McCartney, launched one of the world's first meat-free brands with Linda McCartney Food in 1991.