The fury over the ill-fated pasty tax should have warned David Cameron to stay well clear of Britain’s high street eateries. But the prime minister wandered into a café for a cup of coffee to a decidedly frosty reception – when he was told to get in line by an acid-tongued waitress.

If that wasn’t enough, when he turned tail the premier was given a ticking off for taking his custom next door.

Mr Cameron was visiting Plymouth for Armed Forces Day when he stopped at The Sandwich Box Plus in search of a pick-me-up.

Café worker Sheila Thomas failed to recognise the Tory leader and told him she was busy serving other customers. ‘I didn’t realise it was him at first,’ she said. ‘I was in the middle of serving a customer so I was running around trying to do something and didn’t take too much notice, to be honest.

‘He asked if we served takeaway coffee and I said, “Yes but I’m in the middle of serving somebody” and he said, “I’m so sorry”. It was only afterwards somebody told me it was the prime minister.’

After a ten-minute wait, Mr Cameron’s aides popped to Warrens bakery next door to buy the peckish premier a jam doughnut and a cup of tea.

He sat outside in the sunshine before heading back inside The Sandwich Box to pose for a photograph with teenager Josh King.

But Mrs Thomas had words with Mr Cameron when he returned. ‘He came back in afterwards and I told him off for not getting a coffee here,’ she said. ‘He shook hands and was very pleasant.’

The incident comes after other recent forays into the ‘real world’ backfired. Last month the prime minister left his eight-year-old daughter Nancy in a Buckinghamshire pub after a Sunday family meal.

And on holiday in Italy last year, he was forced to carry a tray of drinks to his table when a waitress told him she didn’t have time. He left without tipping but returned later to make amends.

【新闻快讯】

英国首相卡梅伦日前在咖啡店买咖啡时吃了一名女店员的“闭门羹”，他被要求排队等候，不要插队。

上周末，卡梅伦前往普利茅斯出席军人节庆祝大会。一到市区，他就要司机把车停在一家咖啡馆门口，下车买咖啡。卡梅伦到柜台前要女店员席拉给他一杯咖啡。并未认出首相的席拉表示她现在很忙，正为其他顾客服务，要求卡梅伦排队等候。

在等待10分钟还没买到咖啡后，卡梅伦的助手赶紧到隔壁面包店买了一个甜甜圈和一杯热茶拿给首相。

卡梅伦在店外喝茶时，有不少民众认出首相，并和他打招呼。卡梅伦后来又进入咖啡店与人聊天。店员席拉一看他带着别家的餐点进店，又“数落”他一顿。还好卡梅伦心平气和，一点也不在意，继续跟店里的人握手、拍照。

席拉后来表示，她当时完全没有认出首相，后来才被人告知。她称卡梅伦看上去十分友善。