Last updated 13:22, Tuesday, 19 August 2008

MOST restaurant owners would cower at the thought of meeting firebrand celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
But for Tony Shaw, air steward and co-owner of the Royal Oak at Spark Bridge, chatting to one of his heroes onboard a flight from LA to London was a dream come true.
Evening Mail reporter AMY FENTON went to the Royal Oak to meet owners John and Tony, and to try the latest addition to their menu - a Gordon Ramsay-inspired steak and kidney pudding.

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WHEN I visited the Royal Oak for a drink last week, one of the owners, Tony Shaw, was telling me of his recent meeting with Gordon Ramsay and how his recipe suggestions had inspired the pub’s steak and kidney pudding.

Tony then kindly invited me to come along to the Royal Oak in Spark Bridge for a meal – and in the interests of journalism, I felt it was only right to accept.

Tony Shaw and his business partner, John Hughes, met when they worked together as flight attendants for Virgin Atlantic.

Just over a year ago, they decided to go into business together and knew they had found the right location when they saw the Royal Oak lease being advertised.

Tony, who was born and bred in Grange, said: “We lived in Cheshire, and it got to the point where we wanted more and we saw this on the internet and knew it was the perfect place for us.”

Tony, 40, still works as a flight attendant, juggling long-haul flights to locations like Barbados, Mauritius and New York with the running of a busy rural pub.

He said: “It’s something I’ve done for the last 19 years, it’s like a lifestyle to me now, I’m so used to it and it’s something a bit different.”

On June 5, Tony was serving passengers in the upper class section of Virgin Atlantic flight VS 24 from Los Angeles to Heathrow when he came across Gordon Ramsay.

Tony said: “I found him very friendly and down-to-earth, not necessarily how he’s portrayed on television, but he had a laugh and a joke and said he hoped we had steak and kidney pudding on our menu.”

Gordon then gave Tony some restaurant advice and recipe suggestions, and added that next time he was in the Lakes he would pop in to try the steak and kidney pudding for himself.

Tony told me he had met a number of other celebrities while working for Virgin, including Debbie Harry, Simon Cowell, David and Victoria Beckham and Orlando Bloom. He added: “It’s part of the job to socialise with the passengers, especially when you’re working on the bar in upper class – it’s great being able to have a laugh with your idols.”

When I went for my meal last Tuesday night, I was amazed to see that locals and tourists alike were prepared to wait for the next available table.

The pub can cater for around 65 people and Tony explained they also host private parties and have four bedrooms available.

But let’s not forget the main reason for my visit to Spark Bridge – to taste the steak and kidney pudding.

It certainly didn’t look how I would have expected a steak and kidney pudding to look – it was in a huge pie dish with thick, crusty suet pastry covering the entire thing.

The pastry was easily my favourite part of the pudding.

It reminded me of the kind of traditional cooking I would find at my grandma’s house.

The pudding was full to the brim with steak, kidney, peas, carrots and gravy, and served with chips and a selection of vegetables.

Although I do like steak and kidney puddings, when I have one at the football I must admit that I tend to pick out the pieces of kidney and drop them on the floor.

It’s not that I particularly dislike the flavour, it’s more the texture that puts me