IT WAS the moment one of the world’s greatest musicians popped into a Hampshire cafe for a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Sir Rod Stewart decided to renew his acquaintance with Beaulieu - almost 60 years after attending one of the famous jazz festivals hosted by the previous Lord Montagu.
He arrived in a silver-coloured Rolls-Royce the day after his near sell-out concert at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton.
Apparently in need of refreshment he spotted Pallets Tea & Coffee House in the High Street and decided to pay it a visit.
But despite being instantly recognisable the spiky haired singer felt the need to introduce himself, telling owner Dominic Ide: “I’m Rod Stewart, by the way.”
Dominic, 26, said: “We were having a very busy day when we suddenly saw a massive Rolls-Royce reversing very slowly in the High Street.
“A man who looked exactly like Rod Stewart started walking around the village and eventually came in.
“At first it was a member of his management team who did most of the talking. Rod was looking at the artwork on the walls but started telling us about his previous visit to the village. When he said ‘I’m Rod Stewart, by the way’ we replied ‘yeah, we know’.
“Rod and the two people with him sat at a table in the back room. Some of the other customers realised who it was but I think they were a bit too nervous to approach him.
“He was a really nice guy. If you didn’t know he was Rod Stewart you’d just think he was a very friendly person.”
The singer’s surprise visit to Beaulieu has sparked a flurry of comments on social media.
One man posted: “We were going to the garden centre and couldn’t turn into the High Street because a ‘Roller’ in front of us was blocking the junction.
“I saw two chaps on the corner watching the car. I said to my wife ‘he looks like Rod Stewart’ and she replied ‘it is!’
“She called to him and said ‘great concert last night, Rod’. He replied with a big smile ‘oh, thank you darling’.”
Sir Rod is one of the most successful musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records in a glittering career spanning six decades.
His hit single, Maggie May, was inspired by his visit to a Beaulieu jazz festival when he was 16.
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