A Pot Noodle enthusiast has transformed his home into a festive shrine celebrating his beloved snack, complete with a Christmas tree adorned with Pot Noodle-themed trinkets. Dean Pugh, 56, a devout fan who’s consumed over 4,700 pots and possesses an extensive collection of Pot Noodle memorabilia worth £4,000, has opted for a unique Yuletide decor.
His living room dazzles with Pot Noodle Christmas crackers, collector’s edition pots, and an angel fashioned after Ned The Noodle, the brand’s 90s mascot. Dean’s twelve-year tradition of daily Pot Noodle indulgence isn’t taking a backseat for the holidays; he is even set to tuck into a Christmas Dinner flavoured pot on the big day.
He hopes to receive a hamper filled with his favourite quick meal from loved ones this year. Adding to the eccentricity, his living space features three vending machines, retro signage, and a Chicken Korma pot autographed by model Caprice – his most treasured item.
The Pershore-based plasterer expressed: “I just thought it would be a bit of fun although the wife doesn’t quite agree. I’ve spent years building up this collection and have become known across the world as the Pot Noodle King, so I thought I should show it off at Christmas too.”
He endeavoured to break the monotony of traditional decorations, saying “People always have the same old decorations up each year so I thought I’d do something a bit different. I think it looks fantastic but the wife thinks I’m nuts. She’s just learnt to tolerate it but my daughter loves it. The angel on top is a Pot Noodle mascot which you had to send tokens off for years ago. He’s called Ned the Noodle and they fetch about £60 on eBay.
“I’ll be having Pot Noodle Christmas Dinner flavour on Christmas Day, although it went out of date in 2011 so I hope it doesn’t make me ill.The family know to get me a Pot Noodle hamper – what else would the Pot Noodle King have for Christmas? There’s two lads in Worcester collecting Pot Noodles to help feed the homeless this Christmas and I’ll be donating to them so its all about good causes too.”
Dean, a plasterer from Worcester who shares his home with his 50 year old wife Louise, became an aficionado of the noodles roughly three decades ago while at work, indulging in the snack a couple of times per week.
His passion for Pot Noodles continued to grow over the years, leading him to incorporate them into his metal detecting excursions, earning him nicknames like “Plasterer Dean, who lives with wife Louise, 50, first became hooked on the snacks about 30 years ago at work and would have one or two a week.He soon started taking them out on his regular metal detecting tips where his pals started calling him ‘Mr Noodle’ or ‘Noodle King’.
The name has stuck ever since – and he began eating them every day about 11 years ago.Dean says he loves the classic Chicken and Mushroom flavour but his favourite is the Bombay Bad Boy.He also scours the web for unopened pots of discontinued flavours, like Mac and Cheese, Spicy Curry and Brazilian BBQ Steak and buys them on eBay.
Dean also forked out £500 for a vending machine previously from a race course which dispenses his favourite snack and also plays music.He has over 50 different varieties in his kitchen cupboard and once ate a Beef and Tomato pot which was 14 years out of date to raise money for charity.He said: ” and “The family know to get me a Pot Noodle hamper – what else would the Pot Noodle King have for Christmas? ” from his friends.
The monikers have followed him ever since, and around eleven years ago he switched to a daily Pot Noodle regime. Favouring the timeless Chicken and Mushroom variety, Dean concedes that Bombay Bad Boy tops his list of preferences. Not content with just any Pot Noodle, he actively seeks out rare, unopened pots of retired flavours such as Mac and Cheese, Spicy Curry, and Brazilian barbecue Steak from the internet, often turning to eBay to satisfy his craving.
Dean didn’t hesitate to splash out £500 on a vending machine from a racecourse, delighting not only in dispensing his beloved snack but also enjoying the machine’s built-in musical feature.
He stated: “I just like Pot Noodles because they are a quick, easy, tasty snack. But now that’s all I’m known for.
“I don’t mind though, it’s a fun thing to be known for and cheers people up. People contact me from all over the world saying how brilliant it is.
“I get sent Pot Noodle memorabilia in the post, I had some Pot Noodle earrings the other day. It started as a habit which grew into a massive hobby and now I’m always on the lookout for new additions to my collection, I look online constantly for items.”
