The Netherlands’ most famous restaurant critic, Johannes van Dam, has died in hospital at the age of 66.

Van Dam wrote a weekly column in the Parool newspaper since 1991 and his reviews, though mainly positive, could lead to a restaurant being closed down.

He also published several books about food and cooking. The most successful of these was the De Dikke Van Dam, a 700-page opus covering food from A to Z.

Van Dam, who was equally known for his portly size and waistcoats, had health problems for years and also suffered from diabetes.