THE original bad boy of the restaurant world is bringing a new venue to one of East Lancashire's best-known hotels.

Marco Pierre White is to open a new restaurant at the Mercure Preston Samlesbury Hotel, Samlesbury, and will start to welcome guests towards the end of June.

The renowned restaurateur who is famed for his no-nonsense approach, has now confirmed that his latest eatery, Mr White’s English Chophouse, will be at the hotel between Preston and Blackburn on the A59.

Regarded by many as being the godfather of modern cooking, the one dubbed the original 'enfant terrible', Mr White was the youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars.

He has trained notable chefs such as Mario Batali and Gordon Ramsay.

He said he was now looking forward to bringing his brand of chophouse dining to the region.

A tribute to the restaurants that first emerged in London in the 1690s, he revived this traditional dining experience by launching the first Mr White’s English Chophouse in 2018.

The menu centres around steaks, grills and chops, and combines English classics while introducing a little French flair that is the very epitome of the famed chef’s cooking style.

Mr White said: “Chophouses go back centuries, so it’s not about inventing something that is new, more refining something that is good.

"I like to think that my interpretation of this classic dining experience is perfect for anyone looking for something that is without doubt a cut above the rest.”

The opening of the new restaurant follows a deal between owner Kim Eivind Krohn of KRO Hospitality and Black And White Hospitality and is the second Marco Pierre White venue KRO will operate having successfully run a Mr White’s English Chophouse at the Velvet Hotel in Manchester.

Mr Krohn said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have someone of Marco’s calibre open one of his Chophouse restaurants at the Mercure Preston Samlesbury Hotel.

“Guests will also be able to dine al fresco and enjoy a brand-new terrace menu."

KRO bought Samlesbury Hotel out of administration in a multi-million-pound deal earlier this year that saved 50 local jobs.

It is undergoing a £1.5m revamp and was rebranded as Mercure Preston Samlesbury Hotel.