Making A Meal Of It

Tom Kerridge talks festivals, fatherhood and fish and chips with Rebekka O’Grady

- Tom Kerridge

He’s the face of shows such as Lose Weight For Good – having himself lost 12 stone in just three years– and his Marlow pub, The Hand and Flowers, became the first of its kind to hold two Michelin stars back in 2012. But it seems that this superstardom hasn’t gone to chef Tom Kerridge’s head.

‘I try not to think of my success too much as it’s just a bit bizarre!’ laughs Tom. The 44-year-old has now become a regular on our television screens thanks to his own cookery shows as well as Great British Menu and BBC Two’s Food and Drink. ‘I am just proud to be a part of a community of chefs that now talk to one another. In the industry 25 years ago, you didn’t have that. Now it’s about working together and doing what we can to showcase the best of the British food scene.’

Tom’s latest project, Pub in the Park, does just that. Launched last year in Marlow, 2018 will see the chef take the festival on tour to four handpicked towns in the UK, including Higginson Park in Marlow on May 17th-20th, Royal Victoria Park in Bath on June 8th10th, Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells on July 6th-8th, and The Heath in Knutsford on September  7th-9th, bringing with it a host of top chefs, local artisans and musical performances.