A host of famous faces staged a pub quiz at West Kirby’s much-anticipated new venue, The Viking last night.
BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin was joined at the event by Liverpool FC legend, Jan Molby, and the pub’s co-owner, celebrity chef Simon Rimmer.
The pub is hosting a series of community events this week prior to officially opening its doors to the public on Monday.
The Viking, which is on the site of The Hilltop, on Blackhorse Hill, has undergone a £1million refurbishment.
The gastropub will follow a similar concept to its highly successful sister venue, The Elephant Pub & Bakehouse, in Woolton Village, Liverpool.
The Viking and The Elephant are part of the Flying Pig & Lobster group, of which Simon is a director along with his friends Roy Ellis and Neil McLeod, who also founded the Revolution chain of vodka bars.
The pub has a Scandinavian theme, which celebrates West Kirby’s viking heritage. The pub’s logo features the Norwegian Viking, Ingimund, who, according to the pub’s website, led the first Viking invasion on the East Coast and into West Kirby (The West Settlement) in AD902.
Simon Rimmer is the star of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. He is originally from Wirral and also runs Greens, in Didsbury and Earle, in Hale with his wife Ali and friends, footballers Jason McAteer and Jason Koumas and football agent Dave Lockwood.