Dean Pugh, 56, has munched through more than 4,700 pots of the popular food snack during his lifetime and amassed £4,000 worth of Pot Noodle memorabilia
Pot Noodle superfan Dean Pugh, 56, has turned his home into a shrine for his beloved snack, decking out his living room with festive decorations all themed around Pot Noodles – even his Christmas tree is adorned with the stuff.
The dad-of-three, who’s scoffed over 4,700 pots and collected £4,000 worth of memorabilia, has no plans to ditch his daily noodle nosh-up, not even on Christmas Day when he’ll be tucking into a special Christmas Dinner flavour pot. He’s even hoping to unwrap a Pot Noodle hamper as a gift to add to his madcap collection. Among his treasures are three vending machines, retro signs, and a Chicken Korma pot autographed by 90s bombshell Caprice.
The Pershore-based plasterer quipped: “I just thought it would be a bit of fun although the wife doesn’t quite agree.” He added: “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.”
And why stick to the same old Yuletide decor? Dean reckons: “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“I’ll be having Pot Noodle Christmas Dinner flavour on Christmas Day, although it went out of date in 2011 so I hope it doesn’t make me ill.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, from Worcs, who became hooked on Pot Noodle three decades ago, has become the ‘Pot Noodle King’ in his household, complete with a £500 custom vending machine playing tunes! Crazed for noodles, Dean says, “I think it looks fantastic but the wife thinks I’m nuts. She’s totally got to put up with it but my little girl absolutely loves it.”
An original Pot Noodle icon named ‘Ned the Noodle’, a rare gem that could bag £60 on eBay, sits proudly atop his festive tree, setting merry vibes. This noodle aficionado giggles, “I’ll be tucking into a Pot Noodle Christmas Dinner flavour on the big day, though it’s been out of date since 2011 – fingers crossed it won’t have me up the hospital!”.
Come Christmas, Dean’s expecting a bumper Pot Noodle haul – it’s tradition! “The family’s on it; they know to hook me up with a Pot Noodle bonanza. What else would you gift the Pot Noodle monarch?”
Big-hearted Dean’s also giving back, chucking in with two Worcester heroes gathering Pot Noodles for the needy at Yuletide, proving it’s not just about chasing the noodle dream. The plasterer, lounging at home with Louise, aged 50, first puckered up for a noodle nip three decades back at work, slogging down a couple each week.
Soon taking his trove on treasure hunts with metal detector in hand, his mates dubbed him ‘Mr Noodle’ or ‘Noodle King’, and he’s been gobbling them daily for the last 11 years, addicted to the spicy thrill of Chicken and Mushroom and Bombay Bad Boy. Dean’s always scouring cyberspace for retired pots, hunting down tastes lost to time like Mac and Cheese, Spicy Curry, and Brazilian barbecue Steak, bidding madly on eBay.
He didn’t stop there; splurging £500 quid on a zany race-course vending machine that dishes out his beloved noodles and even belts out a cheery tune. He’s the king of instant noodles with a cupboard boasting over 50 different varieties, and he even braved a beef and tomato Pot Noodle that was an astounding 14 years past its best-by date for charity. On his unusual passion, he said: “I just like Pot Noodles because they are a quick, easy, tasty snack. But now that’s all I’m known for.”
He doesn’t seem to mind the notoriety, adding: “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.” The noodle aficionado frequently gets quirky gifts reflecting his obsession: “I get sent Pot Noodle memoribilia in the post, I had some Pot Noodle earrings the other day.”
What started off as a mere habit has spiralled into a full-blown hobby, with him constantly hunting for new items, confessing: “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.”