Paul Hollywood blasts 'unforgivable' locals critical of his wife over closure of her 'beautiful' village pub that she will turn into a home - and says villagers should stump up money to buy the 600-year-old boozer themselves By Iwan Stone Published: 09:17, 17 August 2024 | Updated: 09:41, 17 August 2024 e-mail View comments Paul Hollywood has blasted locals as 'unforgivable' after they criticised his wife's plans to close their 'beautiful' village pub. Melissa Spalding and celebrity baker Paul had put more than £80,000 of their own cash into trying to save The Chequers, near Ashford, Kent. But they said it was no longer viable as a business, so her family submitted plans to turn it into a home earlier this year.
Now the TV chef says that locals should stump up the money to buy the 600-year-old boozer themselves - as he says that it cannot survive without them supporting it. Following a tense planning meeting, where locals said they had made more than one offer but had been 'unable to get them to agree or engage fully with us', The Great British Bake Off host raged against the 'vindictiveness' of villiagers. He told BBC South East : 'The vindictiveness from the locals towards the family who have been here 18 years is unforgivable.
Paul Hollywood says that locals should stump up the money to buy the 600-year-old boozer themselves - as he says that it cannot survive without them supporting it The Chequers, near Ashford, Kent, is no longer viable as a business, so Mrs Hollywood'.