HER green curry has passed the esteemed lips of the Duchess of Cambridge, in the days when she was just plain old Kate, the original James Bond, Hugh Grant and a host of pro golfers.

Having paid court to royalty (both Hanover and Hollywood varieties) north of the border, Old Town Thai's leading lady Pakkamon Johnson is now intent on wooing a new crowd of diners in Swindon.

While her thoughts are firmly on the future, it only takes a gentle nudge to coax a few choice morsels of gossip about her time feeding the glitterati at St Andrew's acclaimed Nahm- Jim restaurant.

"Sean Connery came for the green curry and Hugh Grant always had Pad Thai," reveals the 51-year-old with conspiratorial smile.

"A lot of celebrities came every so often. And there were a lot of famous golf players.

"The Duchess of Cambridge came in once with friends but William wasn't there. I overheard her say that she asked him to come but he couldn't make it. That's when they were still at university.

"A lot of the time I didn't know who I was cooking for until my boss came in to tell me. It doesn't change what you do in the back. The celebrities never got special treatment. Although it makes you quite proud to think these people are eating your food.

"I never went out to speak to them but I had a quick peek from the kitchen. I didn't want to interfere."

She made one small exception with one a regular, a certain English heartthrob and hero of Richard Curtis's Notting Hill.

"I took a photo with Hugh Grant," she says starting to blush.

"My sister in Thailand was a fan, we had seen Notting Hill and she wanted one. I wanted a photo with Sean Connery too but he liked his privacy so I couldn't really ask for one."

Pakkamon, known to her friends and family here in the UK as Pat, was initiated to the culinary arts by her mother and grandmother in her native Thailand from a very young age. By the time she turned four she was experimenting in the kitchen using her father as a guinea pig for her concoctions.

Despite his encouragement, when time came to choose a career she opted to train as a teacher before working in education for the government. Finally in 1999, at the age of 35 she packed in her office job, travelled to Bangkok and was hired in as a junior chef in a swanky restaurant.

Soon she rose through the ranks. Two years later she relocated to the UK. She started at the bottom, waitressing in Surrey while learning the language.

Again she worked her way up and moved to St Andrews where she met her husband Alan Johnson.

Her career took her to Thai eateries across the land of the brave including Edinburgh and Broughty Ferry near Dundee. The couple settled in Swindon at the end of last year, to be close to Alan's sons.

The move as luck would have it coincided with a drastic change of direction at Karczma Polska on Wood Street.

The fledgling restaurant had failed to capture the imagination of Swindonians and owner Craig Gavin was searching for a chef to help him reinvent the Polish kitchen as a Thai eatery.

On June 4, three weeks after their first meeting, Old Town Thai was opening its door.

"I never hang around," says Craig. "We had two weeks to change over restaurants. I have been to Thailand and I love the food. I always thought that should the Polish restaurant fail it would be my next option. But I wanted it to be authentic; the chef had to be native. That was essential.

"I firmly believe our food is in a different league. When Pat first cooked for me I was blown away. I gave her free reign with the menu. Who am I to tell a chef like Pat how to cook?"

Pat was in for a whirlwind few days after signing on as head chef.

"I had one week to put the menu together and less than one day to get everything ready in the kitchen," she laughs.

She has now embarked on a mission to right people's skewed perception of Thai food.

"I think a lot of people think of Thai as really spicy food but it doesn't have to be.

"My family taught me from a very young age not to make food too spicy.

"It can't be too overpowering or it takes away from the flavour. So I keep everything I cook in the middle. But if it's too mild for some people, anyone can ask for it to be extra spicy. We always ask customers how hot they want their food. "

Observing Thai's entrenched sharing tradition, Old Town Thai has launched Tuk-Tuk portions for dinner - the size of large tapas - to encourage customers to sample and split a few dishes.

"It's traditional in Thailand to share so people can try different Thai flavours," adds Pat. "The portion is smaller but it can fill one person too."

At lunchtime, the eatery offers typical Thai street food, fast to prepare for patrons with little time to spare.

Pat adds with a smile: "We have had great feedback and some customers are already coming back. I'm very confident about the restaurant. I just want to do the best I can."

Old Town Thai is at 23 Wood Street. To make a reservation call 01793 433924.