Could Jamie be the next celeb chef in Leamington?

The Courier has been informed by several sources that there is a strong possibility that the popular celebrity chef could be moving into the unit in Regent Court currently occupied by menswear store, Austin Reed, which is closing down next week.

Meanwhile, this newspaper also understands that there are plans afoot to transform the whole of the space in Livery Street into a food court.

The Courier has also been told that the Caribbean restaurant chain Turtle Bay is due to fill another of the vacant spots in street, while the new Eat Street streetfood markets have been running successfully every Friday for the past few months.

This comes in the same year that Nando’s chicken restaurant chain filled a space that was formerly occupied by a shoe shop.

Regent Court manager Maria Hughes only confirmed that Saks hairdressers had already moved out of the street and that Austin Reed was due to go and that “discussions were ongoing with a number of potential occupiers”, but “no decisions had been taken and any names that might have been mentioned were pure speculation”.

But several reliable sources have independently told the Courier that a plan for a food court was on the cards - and that a Jamie Oliver restaurant was a strong possibility, although nothing has yet been confirmed.

Jamie Oliver currently has the Barbecoa, Fifteen and Union Jacks restaurants and Recipease cafes in London, a Union Jacks in Winchester, a ‘pop-up’ Jamie’s Diner in London and Jamie’s Italian restaurant franchises all over the UK.

The veteran 76-year-old Italian chef Antonio Carluccio visited Leamington in May to attend the launch party of his Carluccio’s restaurant in Satchwell Court.

To see a video of our interview with him at the event, visit www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/business/leamington-welcomes-mastercook-carluccio-1-5093357