Soul food – Tom Kerridge Q&A

Liz Nicholls

Liz Nicholls chats to Tom Kerridge, the double-Michelin starred chef who opened The Hand & Flowers 20 years ago & The Coach 10 years ago

Hello Tom! What’s your first food memory?! “Oooh, I grew up in the ’80s, in a single-parent family on an estate in Gloucester. So Birds Eye potato waffles, Findus crispy pancakes, tinned corned beef… I still love it!” 

Q. Would you have imagined you’d be where you’re now 20 years ago? “My God, no! The idea was to set up and create somewhere where we loved the food that we cooked for people. I’m so proud of the team of people who have been around us for so long. Lourdes, our general manager, has been with us 18 years, and you’ve got Katie, who’s been there 15 years, Gabby who runs front of house, has been with us for another 14 years. And then you’ve got the likes of Tommo, who’s the head chef and Sarah, who’s the head chef of The Coach since the beginning. So it’s been this long, progressive journey of not just the businesses, but people, professionally and personally. And then we’re so grateful for the continued support of Marlow & everyone around here. We just wanted to create great food and relaxed, informal service. Two Michelin stars later, ending up on telly and doing books are added bonuses. We’ve gone with it. But it’s always been about great food and that’s down to continued hard graft that everyone puts in.” 

Q. We’re celebrating festivals this month! What are your favourite festival memories? “Well, Pub in the Park has been amazing and I love doing it every year. The energy, the buzz people get from it, and Marlow is very special because it’s my home town. The sun always seems to shine, we’re very, very lucky with that! I’m sure Dizzee Rascal will be great, bringing the energy and I love the brilliant cookery demos, the stuff on the fire pit.” 

Q. What’s your most rock’n’roll food moment? “We’ve had so many famous people in our restaurants, probably the most famous being Beyoncé and Jay-Z. They were great, warm, not divaish at all. And they loved their fish and chips!” 

Q. Cliche I know! But what’s your best ever meal? “For me it’s always about situation and place. So fish & chips on a beach in Brighton, in the winter when you have to wrap up warm, with loads of malt vinegar on. Some street food I had in Singapore, maybe eight or 10 years ago, was unbelievable, absolutely stunning. And awesome tacos from a shack in Tucson, Arizona. They’re some of the best food experiences I’ve had.” 

Q. What are the ingredients for a perfect pub? “A warm welcome, great beers and food done with care; it doesn’t have to be Michelin star food, just made with love. A great pub has this kind of unwritten rule of connectivity. The problem is everybody wants that on a Sunday. You need to have it on a Tuesday lunchtime as well, and we should support pubs this way otherwise they won’t be there on the Sunday.” 

Q. Who would be your dream dinner party guests? “I’m a massive Oasis fan so Liam Gallagher. I love rugby too, so maybe Joe Marler, oh and Lewis Hamilton, please! And we need someone extra funny so Katherine Ryan.” 

Q. Do you cook much with your son Ace? “Yeah, I try to make sure Sundays I’m about and present. This weekend he wants to do an apple crumble. We’ll normally do some sort of slow roasting in the morning because we’ll be off to rugby training, and then the afternoon when we get back, it’s all cooked and lovely.”  

Q. What kitchen gadgets or tools would you not be without? “Sharp knives and a good chopping board… Very simple!” 

Q. What are your favourite restaurants except your own? “I’m a fan of Malik’s in Cookham, which is absolutely outstanding. I was first introduced to Malik’s 20 years ago by Heston Blumenthal and still, to this day, it’s the best curry you’ll find.”   

Q. What foods are you borderline obsessed with? “I always have great cheese and grapes; that’s always a go-to snack. If I get in late at night cheese and grapes is always a winner.” 

Q. What about the worst? “I had one of the worst burgers I’ve ever had at a water park in Portugal. Like, so bad like that it stands out as one of the worst things ever.”  

Q  If you had a magic wand, what would you wish for? “That everyone understood and respected the food pyramid, the way it all works. Good food doesn’t come cheap. You know, there’s a lot of heart and soul and care that goes in producing as well as cooking. So I’d give a little bit more love to farmers.”