A SPICY entrepreneur said he will return to Ipswich after a mix up left him stranded at the train station and supermarket bosses red-faced.

Rebecca Lefort

A SPICY entrepreneur said he will return to Ipswich after a mix up left him stranded at the train station and left supermarket bosses red-faced.

Levi Roots, who wowed judges on the BBC show Dragons' Den with his Reggae-Reggae Sauce, was due to meet fans at Asda in Ipswich on Saturday and sign copies of his new book.

But while he waited at Ipswich station with his guitar and cooking ingredients in hand, staff at the Whitehouse supermarket waited with the reggae music playing and even a beach shack prepared - each expecting the other to arrive soon.

Mr Roots said he thought he would be picked up but a lift did not arrive so after more than an hour of waiting he got back on a train and returned to his London restaurant.

He said: “I was standing there looking like a lemon with all my equipment!

“I was expecting to be picked up and hadn't been given any directions of how to get to the store; otherwise I would have got a taxi. I got very upset and got the next train back.

“I am disappointed I didn't get to see people and meet people, as that is the best part of my job.

“Hopefully we will be able to rearrange it and I would be happy to come back.”

Rob Johnson, the store manager at Asda who organised the event, said he too was extremely disappointed as his staff had put a lot of effort into the event.

He said: “There was a mix up in communication between head office and the book company.

“We were in the store waiting for him and he was waiting at the train station for us.

“It is very frustrating because we had put a lot of work into it. We had a very authentic set up, there was tasting of the food from his books, reggae music, and a shack.

“We had everything Caribbean-style apart from the sand on the floor!

“We will try to rearrange it.”