Ainsley Harriott visited Morrisons Foss Islands Retail Park

Ainsley Harriott visited Morrisons in Foss Islands Retail Park yesterday (August 17) as part of a visit to Morrisons stores across Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire this August with his brand Ainsley Foods Company.

The visit to York as the first of nine across the country where the Ready, Steady, Cook chef met with shoppers to take pictures together, share recipe inspiration, and surprise customers with prizes and food vouchers.

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After dancing with shoppers, hugging dogs, and signing autographs, Ainsley said that it was great to see so many people visit the supermarket to meet him despite the bad weather.

He said: “I was up in York recently, so it’s really nice to be back. It’s great to visit Morrisons and connect with people, tell them about the brand, and give them some tips that they can use in their own cooking.

“People always ask me what my favourite meal or recipe it is, but as a chef, I can cook most things. What I really love is the company and eating with my loved ones.”

Mike Benton, MD at Ainsley Foods Company, added that the company would be donating £1,000 to a local charity, chosen by the shop itself, with an additional £100 to one lucky shopper.

He said: “We’re passionate about bringing people together through great food, and we’re delighted to be supporting local communities alongside our Where’s Ainsley tour.

“By donating £3,000 worth of food in each region we visit, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the fantastic food banks and community organisations making a difference every day.”

Ainsley meets a golden retriever puppy (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

Mike added that they would also be visiting Martin House Children’s Hospice.

He said: “It’s a great cause and we want to keep on supporting it.”

Morrisons store manager Nick Bennett added that it was great to see Ainsley in the shop and that the donations he gave to the food bank were set to make a big difference.

He said: “When they let us know that there was a chance for him to visit us, we were more than happy to accommodate.

Ainsley with one shopper Catarina (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

“It’s great for the store and it’s great for York to have someone like Ainsley visit – look at all the smiling faces in here. He’s a man who creates a crowd.

“We do a lot here for charity and we have several local food banks who visit each week, so it’s a really nice boost for them to have this experience and donation too.”