When Anton Allan decided to give his hamster a treat, he discovered he had a superstar in the making
The red and white checked tablecloth is neatly pressed, the table has been set and suddenly the sound of tiny feet can be heard approaching.
On today’s menu is a veggie spaghetti Bolognese.
And the esteemed diner?
His name is Mr Marshmallow — and he’s a hamster.
But, with tastebuds as refined as any gourmet, he knows his grub — and he loves it.
In fact, you could say he’s a very hungry hammy!
'It's very rare he doesn't like something'
His owner and certified hamster chef, Anton Allan, bought his furry friend home from a local pet shop two years ago and ever since has been feeding him the sort of gourmet grub other critters can only dream of.
The duo now have an army of online fans who can’t wait to see what the pampered pet makes of Anton’s latest dish.
‘I’ve always had hamsters ever since I was a kid,’ says Anton, 22. ‘I had a break for a while and then I decided I wanted another, and as soon as I saw Mr Marshmallow, I just knew he was the one.’
But Anton, who lives in Paisley, Renfrewshire, decided he didn’t want to feed him any bog-standard fare.
He says: ‘I really wanted to give him a more varied diet to keep things interesting, so I started doing taste tests with different foods to figure out what he liked.
‘I began with basic things like watermelon and lettuce, plus various other fruits and veggies. He just loved watermelon and it made me want to take things even further.’
So Anton went online and began researching recipes that were suitable for little mouths.
First on the menu — pancakes.
And Mr Marshmallow loved them.
‘He absolutely knocked back the pancakes and it just spurred me on to try lots more,’ says Anton.
Mr Marshmallow has sampled all manner of cuisines, including his all-time favourite spaghetti, plus cheesecake, curry, pizza and even a Sunday roast.
Each dish is carefully prepared by Anton in his kitchen, and served to Mr Marshmallow twice a week as a morning treat.
‘I just love watching him sit in his bed and get excited about his breakfast,’ says Anton. ‘He doesn’t have the leftovers from my dinner, but a specially-designed meal just for himself. I get up early to prepare it. It takes me about an hour.’
Anton often decides on his recipe the night before. And, though the meals he knocks up are fit for a king, he makes sure each and every one contains hamster-safe ingredients, before serving it up on miniature plates and crockery.
His four-legged food critic gives generally positive reviews but he hasn’t loved _e_verything his devoted owner has plated up.
‘It’s very rare he doesn’t like something I’ve made but one thing he doesn’t like is green smoothies,’ says Anton. ‘I gave it to him once and he wouldn’t even touch it.’
While he may not eat up all his greens, Mr Marshmallow certainly isn’t lacking in table manners.
For the twice-weekly feasts, Anton puts out the pint-sized dining table, and Mr Marshmallow sits up at it to nibble his home-made delicacies.
And, to stop him overindulging, Anton is careful about portion control.
‘He doesn’t tend to eat all of it, although sometimes he does stuff his food in his cheeks for a midnight snack later on,’ says Anton. ‘If he’s devouring too much, I’ll take it away.’
Anton documents Mr Marshmallow’s culinary adventures on TikTok and has over 644,000 followers and more than 23 million likes.
This year, he brought home a fellow diner to join Mr Marshmallow at the table.
‘I now have Mr Liquorice the hamster too, but he’s still a baby and hasn’t tried too many dishes yet,’ says Anton. ‘Mr Liquorice still isn’t quite there with his manners. He tends to make a right mess and doesn’t sit up at the table — he climbs all over it instead!
‘I want to make more cakes and sweet stuff for Mr Liquorice to enjoy, and just see what takes his fancy next,’ he says. ‘It’s so much fun!’
•As Take a Break went to press we heard the sad news that Mr Marshmallow had passed away from old age. But fans will be able to follow his protégé Mr Liquorice on TikTok. Mr M will not be forgotten.