"Yummy Brummie", Glyn Purnell, leaves a nasty taste

Chefs routinely separate ingredients into different pots and so it is no surprise that self-styled "Yummy Brummie", Glyn Purnell, has made full use of limited liability companies to protect his personal wealth whilst serving up a crock of sh*t to his employees, suppliers, rich customers, and all the rest of us. The latter due to unpaid tax liabilities that pay for public services, school dinners, etc. All this is usually quite legal.

Incredibly, this "Celebrity" Chef is held out as some sort of "Ambassador" for our City which only goes to show how low our civic reputation has sunk. Read on and see if you still want to rim this guy ...

The Purnell Companies

The Brummie Gents Ltd - only set up in January, 2025 (after the second insolvency referred to below). Jointly owned with Philip Ko-Hing Innes (the "partner" in a new restaurant, Trillium - see also below).

Smoothie Operator Ltd - a joint venture with A. N. Other which was dissolved without ever filing any accounts.

Ginger Boy Ltd - insolvent. See below.

Little Sister Ltd - set up with a female (possibly his "little sister"?) Insolvent in 2022. The statement of affairs makes grim reading:

It's the left-hand column you really need to look at. Purnell and his co-owner shafted the drones who cook his fancy food for £36,042.16 (£4,280.88 + £31,761.28). Their creditors (suppliers etc.) got off lightly this time losing £865.20). We, the people, lost £46,807.85 via unpaid tax. Oh, and the Bank lost over £50k. (It is possible that Yummy was also classed as an employee and lost some of his "pay" - and this applies below too in respect of his other liquidation.)

Purnell Media Ltd - this Company (in Purnell's sole name) only has to file micro accounts but seems to be the pot in which this cook puts the income which people astonishingly pay him for his peculiar brand of gobsh*tery. And as this is a separate legal entity Purnell can keep this pot away from the clutches of his workers, suppliers, and the taxman. Thus it is no surprise that "Capital & Reserves" amount to £124,832 in the latest accounts. "Yummy" gets the mine - everyone else gets the shaft.

Boo Boo Bars Limited - a Company in Purnell's sole name which is said to trade in "pubs and bars". The 2024 accounts state that there are 14 people working for him in this Company but the same figures show creditors with payments due in 12 months at a stonking £136,795, giving a deficit of liabilities over assets of £8,179.00. Given that pubs and bars are being crucified by the current Labour Government and economic headwinds, this is hardly encouraging. A pub operated via this company is called "The Mount" which may be apt given the, er, mounting debts. Lets hope it's not boo-hoo for the creditors again.

Brummie Monk Limited - dissolved in 2024 without ever filing accounts.

Purnell's Catering Limited - set up on 3rd October, 2024 - "coincidentally" just before Ginger Boy Limited failed. A Company in Purnell's sole name which has yet to file any accounts.

Of course, we only have public access to limited company records and have no means or knowing how much Purnell has squirrelled away in cash, property etc. in his own name. 

And so we come back to the liquidation of Purnell's"flagship" - Ginger Boy Limited - through which his Purnell's Bistro in Cornwall Street was operated. This Company was in "Yummy's" sole name.

Once again the employees, suppliers, and taxman were all shafted together with those customers who were foolish enough to buy vouchers for his expensive eatery. Indeed it was the voucher saga that piqued our interest in this character since there was a suggestion in the media when he went bust (just after setting-up Purnell Catering Limited, don't ya know) that somehow this "good guy" might transfer the vouchers to other parts of his crumbling empire. We were going to follow this up with the liquidator as this would have meant giving some creditors preferential treatment over others - which would have been unlawful. Purnell appears to have been told this since then he told what is left of the "press" that holders of the duff vouchers needed to contact the liquidator. (As we shall see, they got f*** all back.)

Here are the figures again from the liquidation and, once, again, readers are referred in particular to the left-hand column:

The drones (possibly including Purnell himself) who work long hours got shafted for a stonking £145,819.16 (£23,875.16 + £121,944.00). It is said that some young chefs aspire to work for "big" names like Purnell, but such wannabes should check out his accounts first! Maybe they are so highly paid they don't miss the losses when he goes bust - ROFLMAO.

The Bank only lost £17,316.39 when its charge proved to be floating on a sea of sh*t. Curiously "Directors" lost £60k but Purnell was the only one (and this also suggest that his personal losses, if any, were NOT included in the employees figure here - which would make the situation even more reprehensible in the eyes of most right-thinking people, and those not blinded by Purnell's slow cooked shoulder of lamb and other culinary wonders).

Trade creditors/suppliers were taken for an horrendous £131,213.52 and it is to be hoped that they all managed to handle their losses and did not go under themselves. It is noteworthy that this figure is LESS than the sum owed to trade creditors via Boo Boo Bars in the last accounts.

The Bank only lost £17,316.39 this time but the public again lost out when Purnell took the taxman for £51,086.57 (£49,400.51 + £1,686.06). Taken with the non-payment of taxes in the other insolvency that is getting on for £100k lost to the public purse. We think this is disgraceful. This guy should be a pariah rather than a hero in our once great City.

An absolutely astonishing 25% of working age people are on out-of-work benefits in bankrupt Labour Brum, and foodbank use is at record levels. Last Autumn when "Yummy" was preparing his new Company just before the other went under, he was charging "only" £110 plus 12.5% discretionary service charge for his "Autumn Taster Menu" plus £115 for the "wine flight". (This now seems very reasonable as Aktar Islam - Andy Street's biggest fan lol - is currently charging £185 for the Spring Taster and £165 for the plonk!) There are still plenty of folk around willing to pay crazy prices for a succession of minuscule morsels.

When Purnell's went bust we have seen that there were a number of folk who were stupid enough to pay "Yummy" in advance. No doubt some were hoping to celebrate there during the festive season. The accounts show that morons paid "Yummy" an astonishing £39,375.00 in advance for the ultimately worthless vouchers!

Liquidations these days are seldom sudden events. They are often pre-arranged and, as above, it is noteworthy that Purnell set up a new Company on 3rd October, 2004 just a few weeks before Ginger Boy's liquidator was appointed on 12th November, 2024. When did Purnell stop selling the vouchers? Did he continue to sell them in the vain hope of keeping the business afloat? In  particular, did anyone buy vouchers between 3rd October, 2024 and 12th November, 2024? If you did please let us know via the email below.

Another question is when the lease on Cornwall Street was due to end?

We imagine "Yummy" has liquidisers in his kitchens but maybe he should have liquidators on hand too?

There is virtually no journalism being undertaken in this City these days and it is up to a few small independents like us to bring you the facts. The clickbait churnalists presented the sinking of Purnell's flagship as if Purnell was the loser whereas we have now shown you who he actually shafted.

Now the same pathetic lot are bigging-up "his" new restaurant, Trillium. It is billed as a "joint venture" with well-known local wine merchant, Phil Innes ("Mr Loki Wines"). We saw above that another new Purnell Company is jointly-owned with Innes and we assume that this will "operate" the restaurant. But that would seem to be the extent of "Yummy's" involvement since Innes himself is a Director of two new companies set up in May and apparently connected with the new venture. But the ownership is opaque. The sole shareholder of Trillium Restaurant (Birmingham) Limited (Director - Phil Innes) is actually Trillium Restaurants (Holdings) Limited where the sole Director is Innes again, but the sole shareholder is one Brian Dean.

Maybe the set up is for Purnell to simply run the kitchen whilst others look after the business. That might be sensible given his failure to date but will that satisfy his Rotunda-sized ego?

Trillium is due to open in September. We wonder if "vouchers" will be available ...

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