BARNARD Castle enjoyed an unexpected visit from a top celebrity chef.
Marco Pierre White was on his way to Cumbria on Friday, March 27, when he dropped in to Ingnet Antiques and chat with owners, Paul and Charlie Ing.
Charlie said: “The visit was out of blue – he didn’t tell us he was coming. He called saying he was outside the shop and we weren’t at the shop.
“First, it went to voicemail. He was outside for almost two hours, so he saw the town as well. He spoke about how bustling the town is.
“He thought it was a small town but he noticed the amount of traffic and the amount of people about. It was Friday, so people were travelling through town.
“He also mentioned the fantastic array of businesses with lots of specialist shops.”
The television personality has been a customer of the Horse Market shop for almost a decade and the father and son team first met him in 2018.
Charlie said: “He has a hotel near Bath, called the Rudloe Hotel.
“He will buy furniture as an investment for his hotel, especially by Mouseman Thompson, and the earliest pieces possible.
“He’s a nice guy, very knowledgeable. I’d say in terms of Mouseman, he is probably in the top 10 collectors in the UK.
“Like with most celebrities, they are normal people. He has a lot of interest in Yorkshire craftsmen such as the Mouseman. We had a nice chat, it was good.”
The television chef also told Charlie that he would like to visit the town again in the future.
