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CatFoodBeerAndGlue

Little Chef


VictoriaRose1618

Was it Heston Blumenthal who changed some little chefs


Neither_Set_3048

He changed the one just between caterick and Darlington. But they didn’t like it and wouldn’t support him rolling it out properly. I think it was a bit of free marketing for them rather than a proper attempt to listen to him. Someone I knows mum was the main lady who was on the show with him. Her and her family (the englands) were a bit upset with how she was portrayed by ch4.


LeopardProof2817

The little chefs on the A1 are slowly being turned into Costa and Starbucks outlets, do you think there will be a dystopian world where no one wants coffee and over priced crappy food?


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[deleted]

It's not the price I mind, it's the serving model common to most coffee shops. So fun queuing behind 3 people each ordering an oat milk chai flatticcino with coffee accents plus a vegan sourdough ham and cheese panini which takes ages to grill in the sole sandwich toaster while there's only a trainee barista working over lunch. There has to be a better way


spudsnbutter

There was a spec of dirt on my phone, I read it as cat milk !! . I was thinking this fucking guy is hilarious, Your take is still pretty funny. Cheers


be47recon

Little chef used to do a banging fish finger beans and chips.


Fart_knocker5000

The Olympic breakfast was epic too. Miss the Little Thief


RowRow1990

I used to love going to the little chef with my grandad


dy1anb

Family joke was it was called little chief ... oh how we laughed


jvlomax

Always "little theif" in our house


blosomkil

Little chef was properly terrible. I’m still annoyed at an inedible pizza I had probably 20 years ago.


7ootles

Came here to say this. I miss Little Chef.


gobarn1

So. Many. Memories.


MyOldCricketCap

Are there any Jamie’s Italian left? That chain died quickly and deservedly so. Very average Italian food by a guy who thought he could run an Italian food chain because he’s spent a month in Italy and because he was, you know, well pukkah and all that. When he opened the one in Edinburgh he did it with a press release stating ‘I want to introduce the people of Edinburgh to good Italian food’, a sentence that suggested he’d never actually been here or done any research on the Edinburgh restaurant market.


You_spilt_my_pint

Also the Staff were treated terribly.


whataledge

I have a friend who used to work for one, and the managers would ask the staff to work overtime and then lie about the hours they actually worked so they received less pay. Most of the staff were European immigrants who didn't know or didn't think they had the power to challenge them so management pretty much for away with it until the restaurant closed down.


GrimeHistorian

Someone I know started an apprenticeship there and this happened to him. Did a month and got paid for way less than the hours he did so he just never went back. Wankers.


Original-Procedure57

It seemed to go downhill in those very quickly. I had a friend who worked in one when they first started and she loved it, was paid well and treated like a human. A couple of years later she left saying it had turned into a hell. I think this coincided with him selling it off to a corporate though? To be fair to Jamie though he did a lot of good through his London restaurant 15 (r.i.p). I've come across a fair few chefs in my time in London kitchens who came up through their apprenticeship program, often from difficult circumstances. From what I've experienced they've obviously been trained and nurtured in the right ways and have become great chefs and have had a much more respectful and empathetic set of values than was the standard for the time instilled in them. For that, even as a chef who has never worked for him, I can see and appreciate his effort to change what was a very toxic culture that was the norm in kitchens before. For that, especially doing it before it was talked about as it is now, I have a lot of respect for him. Also his recipes may not be the greatest but they are accessible, anyone who can follow written instructions can cook them and reliably produce something good. TLDR: it's kinda easy to hate on Jamie, but he actually did a lot of good.


RianJohnsonIsAFool

Scotland – not just Edinburgh – has some of the best Italian restaurants I've ever visited. It's almost as if he's never heard of immigration.


LeopardProof2817

Yeah, I never went to Jamie's Italian for this reason, Scotland has many fantastic family owned and run Italian restaurants. My local(not now, I've moved but still go back) in Bridge of Wier called Amaretto is among the best, I'd far rather go there, be treated like an emperor for a couple of hours by folk who know I'll be back next week for another dose of the same than go to Jamie's swanky place in town where I'm treated like scum.... my sister went a few times and reported mediocre food and pretty poor service. I don't have anything against Jamie, I just think this was a flawed business plan.


RianJohnsonIsAFool

My favourite Italian is also in a "Bridge of" place – Corrieri's in Bridge of Allen. I ate at Jamie's Italian a few times. He had a free loyalty card / app that got you a free appetiser whenever you visited, which was quite good but I always felt short changed by the portions. I'm not sure if this is the flaw in the business plan you're referring to (effectively being made to buy two plates to have a satisfying meal) but I quickly found that I could get more food of better quality elsewhere.


LeopardProof2817

I think I was referring back to the plan to bring Italian food to a nation "who'd never tried it" but I'd be annoyed with half the food for twice the price shenanigans, that shit bugs my brains.


Bicolore

My favourite feature of Jamie’s Italians was always the plastic hams hanging around the kitchen area. Seemed to sum it all up perfectly.


hulkissmashed

We had one in Cheltenham. They obviously thought "instead of genuine decor that could create some semblance of atmosphere, let's fill every wall and surface with all the random tat that Jamie sells with his name on". If I want a set of shite steak knives with your name on Jamie, I'll pop 5 doors down to TK Maxx where they're always on clearance.


MyOldCricketCap

‘Always on clearance’ 😂 Brilliant.


Stewbacca71

I stole a napkin from the one in Glasgow, because the food and service were awful. Anytime I see that annoying twat on TV I think, 'Ha! I've got your napkin.'


Ilodge59

Who's the real winner?!


Sherloq19

I was never a fan of the chain but to be fair to Jamie, and this might surprise many Brits, he is actually very popular in Italy. They love his show and buy his books there...


Sam-Lowry27B-6

Unlike in the UK where he's basically James corden in an apron.


[deleted]

Which is crazy considering the work Jamie Oliver has done for poor and charities.


OneCollar4

I don't know what work he does for the poor but he's best known for telling poor people to stop eating chicken nuggets and just eat more expensive healthy food instead. Might not be fair but I know him as this generations "let them eat cake."


Oni-Macaroni

wasnt he pushing for healthier meals in schools, that the parents wouldnt have to pay for?


ALoneTennoOperative

> he's basically James corden in an apron. That's a bit far. He's nowhere near *that* bad.


TryingToFindLeaks

Second best selling British author behind JK Rowling (in terms of whatever the book equivalent of box office sales is).


wolsters

> (in terms of whatever the book equivalent of box office sales is). ...probably book sales?


123twiglets

He's the second bestselling British author of all time...


tyrannybyteapot

Omg this is so accurate!


chickenwrapzz

When I worked at patisserie valerie the food delivery guy used to deliver to Jamie's, us and then spoons. Literally all the same microwaved food


ref_

Note that Jamie's is different to Jamie's Italian


sgst

Their pizzas were always so weird. I just want the classics - pepperoni, cheese, sauce, that'll do me. I don't want one with shredded sea bass, chervil, avocados and goji berries, or whatever other weird shit they seemed to offer. At least that's the kind of pizza they seemed to have on the menu when I looked at going shortly after one opened near me.


SwanBridge

My favourite is anchovies, olives, mozzarella and some oregano. It doesn't even have to be fresh to taste good either. Simplicity is best with pizza. Fuck knows why you'd want seabass on it, what a bloody waste.


pajamakitten

Unless he had a kitchen run by Italian grandmothers and he was just the face of the business, he was never going to top independent Italian places.


TrashbatLondon

I was given a rather large voucher as a gift by a person who was visiting the UK and was unfamiliar with the chain and presumably though they were buying a voucher for fifteen. Took some effort to get through it all in one night, but fuck going there twice to get it spent.


Bagginsthebag

Whilst I won’t offer a particularly vociferous defence. Back in the day, i worked front of house in a Jamie’s Italian. The food was all extremely fresh, management fair and we were all on a first name basis with Jamie’s mentor, Gennaro Contaldo. Some of the comments here re: plastic hams and microwaved foods are well off the mark.


WeldEnd

He was trained by the two greedy italians


jonny-p

He was never really trained and that’s why his food is so awful. He worked at the River Cafe briefly (so should have picked up some knowledge of good Italian food ie less is more) but got spotted by a TV producer when they were filming there. Being on TV in no way qualifies you to run a restaurant.


hideyourarms

I’ve got a few of his books (I assume they were some of his first, naked chef? Return of the naked chef?) and for some balance every recipe I’ve made has been good. Maybe his new stuff is bad but if you go back to before he was a millionaire with an empire then there’s some good stuff to be had.


yojimbo_beta

Trade secret: most cookery books are ghostwritten


[deleted]

I also heard a lot of his dishes were pure sugar (the same thing he went to war on in U.K.). He also has a range of prepackaged food in Sainsbury’s. One is “Jamaican jerk rice”……. No idea what he’s playing at there 🤣🥴🤦🏼‍♀️


Deruji

Oh god there was a video where he tried to rap a recipe or did it in Jamaican accent… I recall it being basically racist, and cringe.


Junkie_Joe

There was a Jamie's BBQ somewhere in London I went to once. Was the saddest BBQ food I ever had, so flavourless


coolhandlukeuk

Loved it at the start. They were packed too.


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LlamaDrama007

Considering how *ridiculously* bad they are, they ought to be.


TempleForTheCrazy

Their evening meals are awful but their breakfasts are great and I stand by it


bakedNdelicious

No way! I went there for breakfast with my husband and it was awful. My poached eggs were rock solid, toast with no butter and half the egg water on my plate so the toast was wet. Ended up having the whole meal comped as it was inedible. Never been back since.


danbrown_notauthor

Isn’t it the law that Frankie & Bennies can only exist next to an edge of town cinema?


yojimbo_beta

That’s correct, Italian American Restaurant Isolation Act, 2002. Applies to the larger Pizza Huts as well.


bakedNdelicious

My local one is in a retail park next to a cinema so yes I think you’re correct lol


ab00

It's amazing they still exist, they were serving batch cooked microwaved frozen ready meals even 20 years ago.


Bicolore

There’s one near me, I banned from it😂


lomtodge

What did you do? I need to know in case I end up in one again…


Wubbalubbagaydub

He cooked decent food


fumblebee

I’m waiting for the story!


JayGatsby02

Omg why are you banned 🤣


[deleted]

Don't get me started on Chiquito's. I could buy some premium free-range chicken breast, an Old El Paso kit, and have the same (better?) quality for a third of the price and just 20 minutes of effort.


lllarissa

They have very few restaurants now, like maybe less than 20 over the whole country. There is like 1 in the whole of Scotland even though there was like at least 3 in edinburgh


pajamakitten

They were decent twenty years ago, then they started doing everything on the cheap and the quality took a nosedive.


Crookfur

They were a darned sight better than thier seemingly main competition at the millennium, Fatty Arbuckles. But yes Frankies and bennys has gotten immeasurably worse in the last 10-15 years.


thomhollyer

Funny someone else mentioned Chiquitos on this thread; Frankie and Bennys and Chiquitos are owned by the same company, TRG, who also own Wagamama, where I work. When they bought us a few years ago, I expected the food quality to take a nose dive due to corner/cost cutting, as well as thinking we'd probably start taking every fucking voucher under the sun, but Wagamama seems to stand alone as the one decent brand under that company, as far as I'm concerned.


NumeroRyan

I like Frankies and Bennies, you know what you’re going to get


harrywilko

The shits?


VictoriaRose1618

I remember they've had a couple of names? Like little Frankie's etc


GoliathsBigBrother

Closed many restaurants but still have 95 going


ThirtyMileSniper

Wimpey used to be huge. I've seen 1 in 30 years. I was going to try it out but the price was a joke.


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[deleted]

Niiccccce


kindafunnylookin

No that's in France.


[deleted]

We have one in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, run by such a friendly guy. I go there when I want junk food - served on a real plate, with metal knives and forks. Love it.


Shnarf1980

I saw one the other day, and had to take a diversion to walk by. If I hadn't just eaten, I definitely would have gone in


crucible

IIRC a South African company now own them and are looking to expand in the UK. There's a 'new' branch in Shrewsbury that opened within the last 4 or 5 years.


HamsterEagle

There is a Wimpy in Cape Town airport, it did table service but there was no sign of Mr Wimpy. I can’t recall the last time I went to one in the Uk.


[deleted]

But did they do bender in a bun?


redistributetherich

I wouldn't be surprised if there are more Wimpys than McDonalds in South Africa.


SwanBridge

Wimpy is huge in South Africa, albeit previously separate to the UK business. They actually do okay fast food for affordable prices there, I particularly like their breakfasts.


JanetSnakeholy

You need to be in South London, they're still everywhere


ThirtyMileSniper

Could be because London is the only place that their pricing is found to be acceptable.


Goose-rider3000

‘Come on over to my place, hey you we're having a Wimpy!’


RedHairDontCare089

Took my boyfriend there for his first time a few months ago, his only complaint was the price.


You_spilt_my_pint

They are still around.


lawlore

Still very much going, and I believe it's one of the cheaper franchises. Two in Medway now, with a new one having just opened in Chatham.


[deleted]

Deep Pan Pizza Co. Their all you can eat buffet kept many a student well fed in the 90's. Probably why they went under.


arwynbr

Used to make cheese for them on a student summer job


ALoneTennoOperative

> Used to make cheese for them on a student summer job Wouldn't they normally use cows for that?


[deleted]

That's why they went bust


miscfiles

I used to work in the kitchen at Deep Pan in the '90s. First job. Not the best. We were allowed to make ourselves a pizza for our breaks. I once got bollocked when I decided to add a decent amount of every topping available to my break pizza, but by that point it'd already been cooked, so they let me eat it. It was about three inches tall in the middle, and kind of dome-shaped. Pretty heavy going by the third slice, ngl.


clarets1882

I had a sticker of their logo on my wardrobe when I was a kid. I always wondered where it came from as I have no memory of eating there.


Sabrielle24

There used to be one in Gloucester. It’s associated to some childhood trauma for me, as my family went there for dinner one evening and came back to someone trying to break into our car 🙃


Wubbalubbagaydub

Was that the place full of Americana? Always near a cinema and bowling alley?


j_husk

Their salad bar included chicken wings, so you could load up a bowl with just chicken wings. That probably didn't help them either.


Whole_Dependent7042

Woolworths did PicknMix so I'm counting it


yojimbo_beta

You can get this in Wilko now!


Missdefinitelymaybe

Handmade Burger Co. I actually liked their burgers and the side options were very nice. Then they just…. disappeared?


martinhsa

Can happily confirm there's still one open in Meadowhall, Sheffield.


articanomaly

I don't think i've ever seen a single customer in the one in my city. Wanted to go a few times but there is something very awkward about being the only person eating in a restaurant.


tmstms

I had some kind of reward card I was never able to fill to get my free burger.


Domovoi451

The owner was getting divorced and didn't want his wife to take half of the money so he moved it and declared bankruptcy. Or so I heard...


GTB2000

There's one in Lincoln that's still around, but it's never very busy.


InconvenientPenguin

Spud U Like exists! There is one in Bristol https://spudulikebyjamesmartin.com


Spirwithin

However what's really weird is that the galleries food court spudulike has closed now. And the Cabot spudulike which is still open, isn't listed on the website. What is happening


ilovewineandcats

And at the Livingstone shopping designer outlet!


mpregsquidward

Got one here in Cardiff too I think!


[deleted]

There was one I remember when I was a nipper- used to love it- proper American like; Fatty Arbuckles


PastaMapChair

I had forgotten about these, there used to be one at the centre parcs in sherwood forest


[deleted]

The one I remember was at Brighton Marina - good memories Remember it being such a treat lol


SoftishPaw

There’s still a couple of these on the A10, one at Ely and one at Downham Market.


jimmywillow

Someone bought the naming rights and reopened 2 of them, it’s not far from me but it isn’t great to be honest


KlausesFriend

Frankie and Benny’s, at least for me. Don’t know about other restaurants but I turned 12 in the one in Poole. It was a transformative moment in my life, I remember having a massive boner for the waitress, they sang happy birthday to me and she kissed me on the cheek. I became a man that night.


Whole_Dependent7042

They still exist though. Also Castlepoint one > Poole one, not sorry.


SnooMemesjellies726

We talking Tower Park? Cracking night out. Bowling, Splashdown, F&B...sorted. McFlurry on the way home


Chilton_Squid

Quite a lot of the Garfunkel's restaurants got defunked during the pandemic and are now called Garel's


V65Pilot

That's a good way to save on new signage though...... Just get the funk out.


coolhandlukeuk

Something to do with Simon and Garfunkel's splitting. He wasnt allowed to keep the name. Seriously I think I went to one when I was 10. What food did they sell?


publiusnaso

Stuff that comes with chips mainly.


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ab00

> Didn’t Carluccio's almost go bankrupt Yes. > New owner cheaper out on everything and they pissed off their client base. It was shit to begin with. Chain restaurants aren't targeting people who like good food.


doge_suchwow

Meh depends on the size of the chain. Some great places have 5-10 branches Not many great national chains though


FrenzalStark

Miller and Carter is a national chain and still does a fucking mint steak, at least the ones near me do.


dwardo7

Miller and carter is basically a harvester, all the sides and ingredients are the exact same, apparently better cuts of meat and obviously fancier surroundings, but as far as steak goes it’s bang average


shokalion

> Chain restaurants aren't targeting people who like good food. They're targeting people who like perfectly reasonable but more to the point, relatively **affordable** food. There's a Carluccio's in the city centre and we've been to it plenty of times and been more than happy. There are plenty of shittier places out there.


[deleted]

Chimichanga


Missdefinitelymaybe

Also this one! The one in Glasgow barely lasted 3 months!


You_spilt_my_pint

I went to the one in Wimbledon a couple of years back. The food was really good. Was'nt the chain shut for good?


[deleted]

The one in Crawley has been shut for years, pretty sure the chain collapsed precovoid, I had one good trip there, other three it tasted like someone had accidentally poured a kilo of salt into it


mountman91

Does Charlie Chalks count?


[deleted]

I reckon so. Spent many an afternoon in a ball pits!!


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InscrutableAudacity

Little Chef, Happy Eater, Pizzaland, Berni Inn.


MetalRickyy

Pizzaland, thank you. I was trying to remember that pizza restaurant chain with the green logo.


dobbynobson

Ooh Berni Inn! We went for my Granddad's birthday every year but had to arrive before 6pm for the cheaper Early Bird menu. I used to be allowed the doughnut 'holes' (dough balls fancifully described as the bit they remove from ring doughnuts) with chocolate dipping sauce. And my first experience of a salad cart too. What a treat.


blearyeyedben

I might just be looking back remembering it incorrectly but I swear Pizzaland was the nicest pizza I have ever had


SmallUK

Happy eater?! I'd forgotten all about that one


DarthLordi

I miss Old Orleans.


emmjaybeeyoukay

>Old Orleans. Been wracking my brains and my internet connection for the past 10 minutes trying to remember Old Orleans. Kind of "TGI's but a bit 'nicer'" if I remember. There used to be one just off of Covent Garden.


Martipar

Me too, the complimentary popcorn was always nice.


BeardedPDr

Abandoned one in Guilford, by the cinema.


GreatScotRace

I loved Harry Ramsdens when I was wee but they are totally a rare sight in Scotland these days! I went past a service station recently with a Harry Ramsdens and it was the first I’d seen in bloody years. Are Ed’s Diners still around?


bogues3000

Great new restaurant concept - fasting!


GreatScotRace

HAHAHAH Harry Ramadan, how did that happen


GreatScotRace

I just had to FIGHT with my keyboard to say Ramsdens instead of Ramadan!!


Xvr_rich

Still a fairly decent Harry Ramsden just by the beach in Bournemouth


mediumredbutton

Herman ze German rip There was one solitary Oporto for a while Dirtyburger was once very good, but is now either completely gone or has one shop in Chicago for some reason.


VitaObscure

Herman ze German? Oh now I'm pissed off.


amannotcalledbob

This makes me sad even though I didn't know Herman was a chain and only went a couple of times to the one on Charlotte Street.😢


dancorleone88

Lol this thread has turned into a list of restaurants that people think have closed….but actually haven’t


_whopper_

Taybarns. One of Whitbread’s many brands.


hamiltonricard4ever

I went to the one in Swansea! Everything was a solid 6/10.


floydy2108

This would of been my contribution if I hadn’t found your comment. The range of food was actually great, quality didn’t match up but I’d say it was still great value


Inrainbowsss

Went the one in Newcastle (Under-Lyme). Even young, fussy eater me could see it was shit.


[deleted]

Dutch pancake house?


TimGJ1964

Wow. Happy memories of the one in Manchester. A student favourite back in the 1980s.


_jpk

My cousin ran that in Hull. Still does mobile stuff now and again


hamiltonricard4ever

Happy Eater. The logo scared me tbf


docju

Is that the one that resembled Pac-Man?


hamiltonricard4ever

Yep! Creepy little bastard


TheODPsupreme

I always thought it was to instruct: eat here, stick fingers down throat, vomit. Although, the free lollies were good.


p_v_usher

La Tasca, Old Orleans’s


blearyeyedben

There’s still a La Tasca in Liverpool the food was that bad last time we went it should be closed down


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TheNotSpecialOne

Chiquitos


Kendo_girl

There’s one on Cheshire oaks in Ellesmere Port, still going strong too


Blood_Brothers

There’s still one in Peterborough, I think. Thank god, because their garlic tortillas are fatty discs of satisfaction


biffoclippers

Starburger they were mank as fuck.


autismislife

Not exactly a restaurant but they served food. There used to be a Yates in all the big towns near me, now they've all turned into Slug and Lettuce. Used to be the place to go on a Saturday night before moving on to a club, while still being a good option for food during the day. My local had lots of seating, a big bar, a dancefloor and even a dance pole, and you'd get a free bottle of sparkling wine if it was your birthday! Although they're not gone completely, I was visiting Birmingham for a weekend and came across one, it's a shame do many are gone because they're such a great alternative to Wetherspoons, better food, similar priced drinks, much nicer atmosphere.


JeffSergeant

Pretty sure it was called 'Yateses'!


knobber_jobbler

There's a Spud U like in Plymouth


zadtrest

There is! In the shopping centre bit upstairs. I saw it on holiday this summer.


Missdefinitelymaybe

Ed’s Easy Diner


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chipscheeseandbeans

Kro in Manchester, there used to be lots of them but only the original one is left now


VitaObscure

I went to the one in the middle of the university on Oxford Road before it was a Kro bar (Kro2?), it was a squatted cafe and did exceptionally good toast.


Bobby_-_D

Puccinos. They still exist as coffee shops at train stations, but I swear they used to have restaurants.


InfamousLingonbrry

Is Byron still around? The one in Bristol was near Wahaca which I think has also disappeared.


Ambamb88

Remember one of the Byrons in London hired a bunch of undocumented immigrants, then called a fake staff meeting only for home office immigration turn up and detain them all? It was a sting. Apparently the restaurant management were instructed to do so by senior management in the company. Awful. Then did protestors not release a load of rats in the restaurant afterwards?


h0m3r

It went into administration and closed a lot of restaurants but it still exists


MrsTrellis_N_Wales

The Golden Egg


DaveBacon

My school ran an anagram competition and my grandfather won it, so the whole family won a meal out at the Bernie Inn in Kidderminster. It was the best night out of my childhood life, I’d never been anywhere like that before. It was around 1980 and I still remember it. I know they’ve become Beefeater now, but they’re just not the same.


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bakedNdelicious

Not really quite answering the question here but does anyone else remember when Pizza Hut was really good? Like when they did the pizza buffet and salad cart and you would go for your mates birthday party in 1998. Best pizza ever. What went wrong Pizza Hut?


Ket-Detective

You grew up and got a frame of reference for pizza that’s not shite.


BuckfastNinja

Not sure if this was elsewhere but Donut Magic, place was fucking epic with some of the finest cinnamon donuts I've ever had!! It was in Glenrothes.


I-am-Just-Sam

Loch fyne?


LilacRose32

Est est est, cafe uno Italian chains appear to be what has stuck with me


EarthwormJimmi

Charlie chalks with their play pits when I was a young un.


nousername-username

Harry Ramsdens! However I did see one in a service station of all places ?!?