World famous chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White and business partner Paul Clark have bought hotel and pub estate - The Maypole Group – which includes four Norfolk inns and one Suffolk hotel.

The deal includes Norfolk establishments The Lifeboat Inn, Thornham; The Bridge Inn, Acle Bridge; The Wayford Bridge Inn, Near Stalham and The Old Coach House, Thornham plus The Angel Hotel in Lavenham, Suffolk.

The partners say the deal is designed to further their plans “to create an affordable, yet exceptional, hospitality experience for all outside of the capital.”

All the sites are in picturesque rural and coastal settings and will form part of a new hotel and pub company under the banner of The Wheelers Group.   The acquisition will provide a total of 440 restaurant covers and 61 bedrooms for this new venture.

White teamed up with hotelier Clark not long after acquiring the Wheeler’s of St James’s brand and together last year they successfully launched two venues outside of London – both in Sussex.

The long term vision for Wheelers is to develop a portfolio of freehold premium country inns and small boutique hotels across the UK. All the establishments will be refurbished to reflect the unique marque of Marco Pierre White.

Clark said: “Over the last few weeks we have been working extremely hard to hit the ground running on the Maypole acquisition – there are already great teams in place. We’re all fired up and ready to put these fantastic venues back on the map and are really looking forward to getting started.”

Unlike many of his contemporaries, White will be running this entire operation – from the team involved to the artwork on the wall. And he says every dish that appears on a Wheeler’s menu will be his own creation.

Known in the trade as The Godfather, White is relentless in his mission for spotting and nurturing talent, so the acquisition should also provide an exciting opportunity for locals working, or starting out, in the catering and hospitality fields.