The Times has said that Clifford – a former National Chef of the Year judge and two-time winner of the Great British Menu – is suing Jo Frances Ltd for £190,000 for supplying furniture that was “too big and of poor quality” rather than the “luxury” fittings he was expecting.

The newspaper said he told Central London county court yesterday (12 March): “I expected Jo to deliver me a perfect restaurant.

“The furniture was too big for the room and that was part of the problem,” with chairs said to have “broke simply by somebody sitting on them.”

His lawyer, James Stuart, added: “It now appears from Jo Frances Ltd’s disclosure that she had purchased cheap residential furniture from a ‘homeware’ supplier.

“The entire design had to be re-done by a replacement designer, with furniture that fitted and a workable table plan, to achieve the required number of covers.”

However, James Petts, who represented the designer, argued: “Many of the problems attributed to her were in fact caused by the disorganisation and/or excessive haste with which the works were carried out.

“There is no evidence at all that the rooms could not be let out at any particular rate owing to the standard of their decoration.”

Clifford, who also runs the Michelin-Starred Midsummer House restaurant in Cambridge, has also worked with contract catering company Crown Partnership,  helping to train its chefs and cater at prestige events.