He's the guardian of the secret Betty's Hotpot recipe and Antony Cotton tucked into a plate of the soap's signature dish as he visited a replica Rovers Return.
Antony's character Sean Tully was stunned to be left the handwritten recipe for Betty's famous hotpot after the legendary barmaid passed away in April 2012, and it's still a favourite today with regulars.
Although Betty's recipe is meant to be a secret, a number of takes on the famous dish have appeared over the years.
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In 1995, hotpots based on Betty’s recipe were launched by Holland’s Pies.
And in 2020 The Co-op started selling beef hotpot ready meals based on Betty's recipe in its product placement partnership with Coronation Street.
Betty, the longest-serving barmaid in the history of the Rovers Return, left barman Sean the huge task of continuing her lunchtime hotpot legacy in a note containing the full recipe.
Actress Betty Driver, who played Betty for 42 years in the ITV soap, died in October 2011 aged 91 and her much-loved character was subsequently written out.
Antony was a special guest at the replica Rovers on the opening day of the Ideal Home Show in London, where fans can book a table at the iconic boozer and fill up on some pub grub.
He told us previously about appearing at the show on the opening day: "I’ll be doing some ribbon cutting, and hopefully some barmaiding behind the replica Rovers bar.
"I am most excited about meeting and greeting with some Coronation Street fans and seeing their reaction when they enter the Rovers for their lunch!
"I’m really looking forward to the whole Ideal Home Show, this will be my first time but have heard there’s a really good atmosphere. This is my idea of heaven!"
Here's the official ITV recipe, taken from the Life and Times at the Rovers Return book by soap writer Daran Little.
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1 1/2lb/675g neck of lamb, chopped and fried quickly until golden
1.5lb/675g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 pint/425ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bayleaf
1 tablespoon flour
2oz/50g butter
Salt and pepper
Method: Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celcius/375 degrees Fahrenheit/gas mark 5.
Melt half the butter over a high heat in a heavy bottomed frying pan.
Add the meat and fry until nicely browned.
Put the fried meat into a casserole dish.
Fry the onions in the frying pan juices, adding more butter if necessary. When soft, sprinkle on the flour and stir.
As the flour paste starts to colour, add the stock a few tablespoons at a time, while stirring continuously.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the liquid and onion mix over meat in the casserole dish and mix well.
Add the bayleaf to the pot.
Arrange the sliced potatoes over the meat in overlapping layers.
Dot the top layer with the remainder of the butter.
Cover the dish with tin foil and place on the top shelf of the oven for two hours.
Uncover and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
The Ideal Home Show, in partnership with NatWest, runs between 11 and 27 March at Olympia London. Idealhomeshow.co.uk
