Sir Ian McKellen has blue plaque erected for eating a potato

We never thought that eating a potato could be such a momentous occasion.

Well, when Sir Ian McKellen – AKA Gandalf in Lord of the Rings – visits your university, it's a special occasion worth marking. ESPECIALLY if he's eating a potato!

The award-winning actor was visiting Liverpool University to talk about LGBT issues last week, and feeling a bit peckish, he decided to have a bite to eat at the Liverpool Guild of Students' bar (known as the Sphinx). And that was where the excitement really began.

As he sat down to eat a jacket potato, he caused quite a stir amongst students.

This included the Guild president Sean Turner, who tweeted:

'So @IanMcKellen is sat in The Sphinx @LiverpoolGuild having a jacket potato. Just saying.'

The excitement was so much that Liverpool University decided to mark the occasion with a blue plaque, usually reserved for the outside of buildings with significant residents. It reads:

'Sir Ian McKellen Sat here on table five and enjoyed a jacket potato and a latte', dated 3rd March 2017.

The talk was arranged at Liverpool University by British Vets LGBT+, who requested that the highly acclaimed actor talk about his experiences and the joy of coming out, as reported by The Tab.

So there you have it: if the jacket potatoes at the Sphinx are good enough for a wizard, they're good enough for us!