Tourist idyll or Stein's monster?

CELEBRITY chef Rick Stein may be a famous face through his TV cookery shows but locals have accused him of “colonising” his north Cornwall base after opening 13 businesses there over 50 years.

- By Emmanuella Ngimbi

Padstow residents say they have been concerned how his portfolio of multiple restaurants, cafes, delis, cookery schools and other business interests has kept growing.

His famed grip on the town even resulted in the area being nicknamed “Padstein”, with gift and bookshops full of his merchandise.

Padstow has 2,500 residents but that number typically doubles in the summer as second-home owners and tourists flock there.

But residents claim that Rick’s influence has been both a blessing and a curse. Although it has boosted the tourist trade, it has also hiked prices, with fears that his interests have stifled businesses.