Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell drop into Newcastle takeaway

27 Jun 2014, 10:49 BST

and

made a surprise appearance at a Newcastle takeaway on Thursday.The duo, who were in the north eastern city for a busy day of auditions with their fellow

X Factor

judges Louis Walsh and

Mel B

, were

tasked with picking up Chinese food for the group when they needed to refuel.Simon and Cheryl dropped into Kwok Pao in the suburb of Heaton,

where the excited owner couldn't resist taking a photo with his famous clientele.

Dressed in a pristine white dress and nude heels,

Cheryl Cole happily posed with her carrier bags of food

while Simon also stood by in a white shirt and jeans.Earlier in the day Cheryl received a

special personalised gift

on Thursday

ahead of her 31st birthday

.While at the

auditions in her native city,

the pop princess was given a Newcastle United shirt bearing the name 'Miss Cheryl'

and the number 31.A thrilled Cheryl, who turns 31 on 30 June, seemed thrilled with the gift, much to the delight of her fans waiting at Newcastle Gateshead Quayside.

Cheryl Cole was given a personalised shirt to mark her 31st birthday

Cheryl's appearance in Newcastle comes amid her tour of the UK for the

X Factor

auditions.

All eyes were on the former Girls Aloud singer on Tuesday

when she stepped out at the Emirates Stadium at the London stop to find contestants for the series.

Cheryl was back in her home city for the auditions

Now that work for the series is well underway,

Cheryl opened up about what it's like to work with Mel B

."I admit

we are very different characters and very different people

. But it works. She actually makes me laugh," said Cheryl of the former Spice Girl. "Sometimes I have to stop myself laughing at her because it's really rude – the contestants think I'm laughing at them."She's quick and she's very direct," she added. "A lot of stuff she says I couldn't bring myself to say. But I love that –

it's a good dynamic for the panel