Ainsley Harriott delighted staff at a Jesmond restaurant when the popular chef called in unannounced for lunch this week, just as he gets set for a big TV return.
Ainsley was one of the most recognisable foodies on British TV back in the 90s and 00s as the host of iconic series Ready, Steady, Cook; famous for its studio audience vote with their red tomatoes and green peppers voting cards.
And he's returning to the small screen in a big way this coming week as he fronts Ainsley's Coronation Kitchen; a new show which will see him get back into the TV kitchen to cook up a feast fit for royalty, ahead of King Charles III's big day next weekend.
The programme will air on ITV on Saturday, April 29 and see Ainsley joined by special guests including Spencer Matthews and Georgia Toffolo currently on screen in I'm A Celebrity All Stars, which was recorded in South Africa last autumn.
READ MORE: Jesmond road closures row as councillors back replacing bollards with cameras
And, as fans get set to lap up his TV comeback, Ainsley took a trip to Tyneside, calling into highly rated and critically acclaimed Jesmond haunt Peace & Loaf, a big favourite with North Shields star and Brit winner Sam Fender.
Ainsley's visit to the Jesmond Road restaurant was documented by staff on Peace & Loaf's social media channels, with one of them even wearing any Ainsley Harriott t-shirt in the photo of them in their kitchen.
Next to the group shot, the Peace & Loaf Instagram post read: "We had @ainsleyfoods in for his lunch today, what a pleasure for us to meet him, how does he look younger than me tho?....and he loved my T-shirt btw"
The post quickly gort plenty of comments, with one customer replying: "I'm so jealous," with another offering a true Geordie reaction by writing: "Proper mint."
*Sign up to get the latest TV and showbiz news straight to your inbox with the Chronicle TV and celebs newsletter. If you can't see the form below, click HERE
READ NEXT:
