It's fair to say that a word most people wouldn't use about top chef Gordon Ramsay is "polite".

But that's what the boss of a gin distillery says after the fiery Scot used his premises for filming his new show.

The Copper Rivet in Chatham featured on BBC's Future Food Stars last week.

But filming inside the Victorian building took place a whole year ago.

In the show Mr Ramsay searches for the UK's most exciting new food and drink business.

Last week's episode saw contestants challenged to create their own non-alcoholic beverage.

Some 12 entrepreneurs face a series of challenges in the hope of winning £150,000.

Stephen Russell, who owns Copper Rivet with brother Matthew and dad Bob, said their business was only used as a filming set, they did not actively participate.

He said: "At first we were a bit sceptical because the very first email only said they were looking for a nice setting for a BBC prime time series.

"But we didn’t know what it would be about. There was no mention of Gordon Ramsay or anything like that. It just said it would be an innovative food and drink programme.

"We were in April last year, just out of lockdown, and from a business perspective things were very tricky for us.

"I had some scepticism about how big of a deal, how real the inquiry was, how much hassle it would be for us and so on and so forth.

"We were also trying to work really hard to get our business back. So I thought 'is it going to be a distraction?'"

But once the star of the show was revealed, Stephen and his team couldn't be happier.

He said: "We were definitely excited when we found out, particularly because we had just opened our restaurant at the distillery.

"Even though they only wanted the building, not really for us as a distillery, it was hugely exciting.

"And obviously to have a global food icon like Gordon Ramsay, perhaps the most famous chef in the world, to come to Chatham and want to spend a day at our distillery was definitely unforgettable."

Stephen had to empty the entire building the day before, to come back at 4am so producers could transform it into a filming set.

Shooting day was intense, with producers and crew only leaving at 11pm. The businessman says the TV chef was "polite and extremely professional".

He said: "He was very friendly and polite and expressed how excited he’d been when his team showed him the distillery, after scouting the site.

"But at the same time I’d say he’s probably the most focused and professional person I’ve ever seen.

"He stopped briefly to spend some time being polite with us and was super focused on his work, which was really quite impressive to see, actually."

Despite not appearing on camera himself, Stephen highlighted the positive impact the show had on his business, saying it could have not come at a better time.

He said: "There was a huge spike on our social media engagement since we announced the news. It’s not everyday where you go to work and you’re hosting Gordon Ramsay!

"But above all, I think the programme showed our building in quite a good light, and that must’ve sparked some interest.

"And what’s good about that, in all honesty is, since coming out of the lockdown the sales of our products has been going really well. We've seen quite a big growth versus before the lockdowns.

"The restaurant is also well-received and doing well. However, the one area of our business that is taking longer to come back to pre-pandemic levels is tour visits.

"So in a way, the show comes at quite a good time for us because it is the one bit of our business which needs some help to remind people that we’re here and our building is a really interesting place."

Stephen added that the programme could also be beneficial to put Chatham and the Medway Towns on the map.

He said: "I was born in Chatham and grew up here. And let's just say there are lots of parts of Chatham that are 'up and coming' and need some help.

"What we wanted to do was create a business that local people can be proud of and see Medway in a bit of a different light.

"That's why appearing on the show and looking amazing makes us really proud and little by little we get closer to our goal."

Meanwhile, the business has announced this week that it has produced a new gin to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.