Tom Kerridge is one of Britain's best-loved chefs. In 2005, after years spent working at some of finest restaurants in London and the Cotswolds under the likes of Gary Rhodes, he took over The Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, which in 2012 became the first pub to be awarded two Michelin stars. Since then, he's gone on to open two more dining spots in Marlow: the Coach (one Michelin star) and the Butcher's Tap and Grill.
His reputation and high profile has opened up opportunities in television, where he's been a familiar sight for many years. His latest show, Tom Kerridge's More Sunday Lunch, which appears on The Food Network from January 15, 2024.
Speaking to James Fisher on the Country Life podcast, Tom discusses his life in food and beyond. Growing up on an estate in Gloucester, in a single-parent family, it was learning to cook after school for his brother that first inspired him to get involved with food, he says. 'It was my first sense as a teenager, of going, "actually, the practicality of doing something, with an end result, and doing something with your hands and physically being involved with something is better than just sitting in a lesson and remembering things'".
The discussion moves on to the general state of hospitality in the country, as well as briefly touching on the price of food.
Our food system has been undermined, he notes, lamenting how farmers have been treated by consumers and supermarkets. 'We have to understand that good food, any food, is a process. It's not like plastic. It takes ages to produce and grow and be done well.'
Tom talks about his favourite dishes and food spots — from a three-Michelin star restaurant in Marseille to eating Singaporean street food on plastic chairs and tacos in Arizona. As he says, 'fish and chips out on a windy day on Brighton Beach, in November, wrapped up warm is equally as magical as eating in a three Michelin star restaurant, anywhere in the world.'
To hear the rest of our chat, click below, or download the episode from your usual podcast platform:
- Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Listen to Country Life podcast on Spotify
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- Listen to Country Life podcast on Audible
Tom Kerridge's More Sunday Lunch appears on The Food Network from January 15, 2024.
Episode credits: Host: James Fisher Guest: Tom Kerridge Producer and editor: Toby Keel Music: JuliusH via Pixabay Special thanks: Adam Wilbourn
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