'I spotted Mickey Mouse in my dinner at a local pub - it made my day'

07 August 2023 , 10:49

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The diner enjoyed a meal and drinks with his family (file image) (Image: Getty Images)

A pub diner was stunned to find "Mickey Mouse" among his tea at a busy boozer.

Craig, who doesn't want to use his surname, said he was served a beer-battered mushroom, which looked just like the Disney character, at an Ember Inn pub as he had a meal and drinks out with his family.

The 40-year-old man was staggered by the vegetable, included in a starter of beer-battered mushrooms at the Woodman's Rest in Solihull, West Midlands, part of the chain owned by hospitality giant Mitchell and Butlers.

Craig's beer-battered mushroom, he said, resembled Mickey Mouse (Supplied)

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Speaking exclusively to the Mirror today, Craig said: "I didn't notice it when it was first served as there were plenty of mushrooms on the plate. When I got to it, I saw straight away it looked like Mickey Mouse because it had his two little ears and the mouth was a perfect circle.

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"It made me laugh, it made my day really as it was just quite fun. My brother and I joked about it because you see these things online about foods that look like things and you don't believe it, until you see it for real. It seemed to be a few mushrooms stuck together in the batter."

Craig, who is from Solihull, took pictures of the vegetable and even named it "Mickey Mushroom" but ultimately, he devoured the crispy nugget.

"It was just very funny and unusual. You don't often see mushrooms like that which are, firstly, so big, and then also see it that shape to resemble its cute face. We named him Mickey Mushroom for a while but I was hungry so ate him eventually. They were tasty.

"It is not every day you see Mickey Mouse in your dinner so I'll remember it for a while... I mean, I was sure it was Mickey Mouse but my brother thought it looked like Winnie-the-Pooh. Either way, it was peculiar and strange."

Craig, who works in sales, is a regular at Ember Inns, which Mitchell and Butlers brands as "local pubs with real ale and proper pub food". There are Ember Inns across the country.

Mickey Mouse, the long-time mascot of The Walt Disney Company, was co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Typically donned in red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves, the talking and walking mouse has appeared in films and has been voiced by legendary actors, including Bret Iwan and Wayne Allwine.

A spokesman for Mitchell and Butler's said: "We’d say our dishes are so packed with ingredients there’s not normally 'mushroom' for anything else, but we’re happy that the guest enjoyed their meal with us."

Bradley Jolly