Top TV chef and I’m A Celeb star ‘gobsmacked’ as his former pub announces sudden closure after just 14 months
A CELEBRITY chef has been left "gobsmacked" after the announcement that his old pub would be closing its doors for the final time.
Antony Worrall Thompson, 73, was the owner of the pub near Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, for nearly 20 years before handing it over to David Brown last summer.
"I didn't know they were going to close the pub down," Thompson explained.
In an interview with the , he continued: "You spend 18 years in love with a place and then within 18 months it disappears. It's a crying shame really as it's such a lovely place.
"It was a fairly quick decision. It's his money, he made the decision and I'm too old to take to back. I love the place but I've got too much on now with other things. "
The chef is best known for presenting and for starring on hit show, I'm a Celeb.
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He is renowned in the culinary world, particularly due to the fact he has owned and operated during his career, including the Kew Grill in Richmond.
Antony went on to describe how the new manager had a lack of staff and knowledge due to being in a completely different industry before the pub.
However, he also acknowledged that Brown is a "really nice guy" who is facing a "tough business" post-pandemic.
Describing how the restaurant world is not easy, Thompson revealed how he thinks Brexit, covid and general laziness during the pandemic have all influenced the hospitality industry.
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He also spoke of the difficulty of encouraging people to head out and dine in when people are short of money and have returned to working a lot more.
David Brown previously took to the restaurant's website to announce that the closure had been made following difficult trading conditions.
He said: "With a heavy heart, due to continuingly difficult trading conditions and next year's budget changes, I've taken the hard decision to close the Greyhound permanently.
"Thank you to all of you who've enjoyed and supported the Greyhound over the years."
