Top BBC star's restaurant set to close after money woes

A BBC chef is set to lose one of his restaurants after money troubles. Celebrity cook and restaurateur Rick Stein has around a dozen restaurants in the UK and Australia, but one of his branches is not performing as well as the rest.

As a result, his Malborough, Wiltshire, location could soon close its door for good. A spokesperson for Rick Stein Marlborough told Gazette and Herald: "We can confirm that we are proposing the closure of our Marlborough restaurant and are consulting with the team to explore whether this can be avoided. Our other restaurants and rooms continue to trade well, but this particular site has not delivered the same level of return." The 78-year-old BBC star, who has featured on an array of TV cookery shows over the years, runs his successful restaurant group with his ex-wife Jill and his sons Jack, Charlie and Ed.

Accounts filed with Companies House on Tuesday, September 23, revealed that Stein's Trading Limited, one of the companies directed by Mr Stein, had made an operating loss in 2024.

The TV chef's Marlborough restaurant first opened back in 2016, and is housed in the Grade II listed building Lloran House.

It serves up some of Mr Stein's most recognisable dishes including the Dover sole a la meunière and turbot hollandaise.

It's not the first time that the establishment has faced difficulty. Five years ago, in 2020, the restaurant was saved from closure, after the landlord offered a reduction in rent.

Mr Stein said at the time: "I'm delighted that our landlord in Marlborough made such a generous offer, I had resigned myself to losing the restaurant and our wonderful team and I am so pleased that we can reopen."

Jill Stein added: "I think it is a wonderful site in a beautiful market town. Kate, Ed, and I put a huge amount of thought into the look and feel of Rick Stein Marlborough and I am relieved that we will be reopening."