The first thing we overheard him tell his companion was that the Press couldn't be trusted, since they always made things up. Chicken and egg, let him deny that bit, then. We were at The George in Wormald Green, on the road from Ripon to Harrogate. Graham Newbould, partner and head chef, was chef to Charles and Diana - even cooked their wedding breakfast, which wasn't baked beans on toast. It's not difficult to spot the Prince of Wales feathers in his cap.
More formal accolades adorn every wall.
The Michelin star he won at Inverlochy Castle, near Fort William, the honorary membership of the Academie Culinaire de Francais, a testimonial from the Royal College of Epicures and many more. Manifestly, therefore, it was to be a special kind of lunch, and occasions are no more special around here than the return journey from holiday. The Boss hates the homecoming, grows more tense with every look north. Last week's break had been in Norfolk, the return not so much walking on egg shells as driving 200 miles on them. Amidst the encircling gloom, enlightenment seemed essential.