Calm down, dear. Not everyone's a winner

Food critic and media mogul Michael Winner has been banned for life from Novelli's White Horse pub in Harpenden.

The Death Wish film director - now better known for his role in car insurance adverts - booked a table for lunch last week.

It quickly became a case of 'calm down, dear' when Winner was told to leave and never return by restaurant manager Andre Vasquez - under his boss Novelli's instruction.

Winner writes the Sunday Times column Winner's Dinners and has a reputation for being a tough diner to please. It seems Jean-Christophe Novelli was biding his time to exact revenge.

Novelli said: "I've been waiting a long time for this moment, especially for the sake of my long-time dear friend and former front-of-house employee Guiseppe Vucchiio whom Winner hurt and embarrassed the most at Maison Novelli with his rude and arrogant attitude."

But Winner is convinced it's all only a commercial. He said he recognised a national press photographer outside when he arrived. "Novelli must be desperate for publicity to stoop to such tricks. But I was delighted. The only reason I agreed to go there was because my girlfriend Paola lives near there and wanted to try it. But by the time I got there she was starting to go off the idea as she thought it looked like a Little Chef restaurant," said Winner.

Novelli said: "If he keeps upsetting people he will end up cooking for himself one day."