Ruth Langsford's strange ingredient that gives 'deep flavour' to her spaghetti bolognese - but not everyone's convinced

Celebrities. They’re just like us. Or are they? ITV favourite Ruth Langsford might have us questioning that theory after she revealed a “secret ingredient” in her spaghetti bolognese that might come as a surprise.

Posting to her Instagram followers back in April, Ruth - looking effortlessly chic in a blue and white shirt - shared her process for preparing the favourite dinner.

While most of the recipe was what we’ve come to expect, there was one addition that Ruth called her “secret ingredient” that adds a “deep flavour” - instant coffee granules.

Getting started with the dish, Ruth revealed she was making her mum’s recipe - but slightly adapted to her "own fabulous recipe" - and wrote in the caption, "Everyone’s got their way of doing it, haven’t they? This one’s mine… loosely based on Mum’s classic but, over the years, I’ve made it my own! No strict measurements here… I just go by eye, taste as I go, and trust my instincts."

Things start off the familiar way. There are frozen onions, mince beef, garlic puree, tomato puree, and an Oxo cube. But then we get to the secret ingredient - cue dramatic music (literally - our praise to Ruth’s video editing skills here.)

Ruth adds a sprinkling of instant coffee granules, saying it "gives it a really deep flavour" while insisting it "doesn’t taste of coffee".

As if to prove her point, Ruth hilariously added, "So Jack [Ruth’s son], just to let you know I’ve always put coffee in your spag bol, darling. And you don't like coffee."

Needless to say, opinion appears to be divided on adding coffee to the traditional Italian dish.

Some comments were unequivocal in telling Ruth that it was a big "no no", while some indicated they’d give it a go, or have heard of doing so before. One fan replied, "Coffee in there is a complete game changer. I was shown this trick when I lived in Canada in the 60’s. I think it looks great Ruth."

In her caption, Ruth also gave away another one of her tips, "I know some people swear by red wine, fancy stock, or simmering for hours… but I keep it simple, hearty and full of flavour… just how we like it. I always use frozen, chopped onions….game changer! Makes it so much quicker and no runny eyes!"

While the coffee granules might seem like the biggest revelation, fans couldn’t help obsessing over another detail in Ruth’s video - her impeccably organised kitchen.

In one clip, Ruth opens her freezer and every single thing is labelled. At least if people aren't going to take away her coffee trick, they might be inspired to get more organised.