The owners of the Lavenham pub controversially taken over by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White have unexpectedly put it back on the market - just 17 months after they bought it.
Cozy Pubs Ltd, who added the 15th century Angel Hotel to its portfolio of three pubs in Essex in November 2015, have now put all of its premises up for sale.
The asking price for the remaining 15 years on the lease is £140,000.
Mr White took over the Angel Hotel in 2011 and within weeks had become involved in a row with locals when he barred some of the regulars. He ordered staff to stop serving some popular drinks, including lager and cider, because he claimed they “attracted the wrong kind of clientele”
He also managed to upset some villagers by claiming: “The Angel is not a local boozer - it’s a hotel. When I take over an establishment I see myself as the caretaker. I accept not everyone will agree with my decisions. But I object to swearing, tattoos and dogs sitting on chairs. I am not trying to be difficult - I am simply thinking of the 98% not the 2%.
“I personally don’t like Fosters and Strongbow - I like traditional ales and ciders. If they don’t like that then I am sorry. I am putting my money where my mouth is. Had I not taken the Angel over, the reality is that it would have closed.”
He also fell foul of Babergh council and was told to repaint the pub just weeks after giving it a facelift. The supposed “Suffolk-pink” colour he chose for the make-over upset planners and local who described it as “blancmange-like” and unsuitable for a mediaeval Grade II Listed building.
By 2015 Mr White, who has appeared on Hell’s Kitchen and was one of the youngest chefs to earn three Michelin stars at the age of 33, had decided to sell up and leave the picturesque village.
Cozy Pubs Ltd, who also run The Eight Bells in Saffron Walden, The Cricketers Arms in Rickling Green and The Saracens Head Hotel in Dunmow, and London agents Christie&Co are handling the sales.
Spokesman Anthony Jenkins said: “The Angel is in the main square of one of the most sought-after villages in the whole of Suffolk and there has already been a lot of interest.”
No-one from Cozy Pubs was available for comment.
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