He’s got some sauce... Rick Stein charges £1.25 for a squirt of mayo

HE has already been accused of alienating locals with his Cornish restaurant empire.

But it seems Rick Stein has gone from the frying pan into the fire – by charging diners a hefty £1.25 for condiments at his fish and chip shop.

Despite the fact that battered cod and chips already costs almost £11 for customers eating at Stein’s Fish & Chips, the celebrity chef adds an extra fee for mayonnaise, aioli or tartare sauce.

One visitor even complained that he had to shell out for ketchup at the Padstow shop, which has a takeaway kiosk as well as an eat-in area. Those taking away are charged £1 for each of the three sauces.

Another diner said it was nothing but a ‘sales ploy’ to boost the millionaire’s coffers, while caterer Vic Laws, who has an MBE for services to hospitality, tweeted about the restaurant: ‘Haddock v good @ £8.50 lots of chips but tartare s[au]ce @ 90p.’

Stein, 70, has five eateries in the north Cornwall port, leading to the area being nicknamed ‘Padstein’, as well as tensions with those that live there.

A spokesman for Stein said: ‘The chef time and quality of ingredients we use do add a charge of £1 to takeaway and £1.25 to eat in; these prices are listed on the menus.

‘In the restaurant we offer Heinz ketchup for free, and in the takeaway we charge 35p for the sachet.’