Tom Kerridge

Tom Kerridge
Tom Kerridge
Born	July 27, 1973 (age 53); Salisbury, England
Occupation(s)	Chef, television presenter
Years active	1991–present
Known for	Michelin-starred pubs, TV shows including Great British Menu and Food and Drink

Thomas Kerridge (born 27 July 1973) is a distinguished English chef. Initially embarking on a childhood acting career, he shifted focus at 18 to pursue professional culinary education. His early kitchen experience includes tenures at renowned UK establishments such as Rhodes in the Square and Adlards.

In 2005, Kerridge and his spouse, Beth Cullen-Kerridge, launched the pub The Hand & Flowers located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Within its first year, the venue secured a Michelin star, and in 2012 it became the inaugural pub to be awarded a second Michelin star. Subsequently, Kerridge opened the Coach in Marlow, which also holds a Michelin star, alongside the Butcher's Tap pub and butcher shop. His debut London restaurant, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, was unveiled in 2018 at the Corinthia Hotel London.

Kerridge’s television appearances include Great British Menu, MasterChef, and Saturday Kitchen. He has hosted several BBC programs such as How to Lose Weight For Good, Top of the Shop, Bake Off: Crème de la Crème (2016), and has been the presenter of Food and Drink on BBC Two since 2015.

Early life

As the older sibling of two brothers, Kerridge experienced his parents’ separation at age 11. Following their divorce, his mother provided for the family while relocating between housing estates in Gloucester. He attended Saintbridge Secondary School and developed an early interest in cooking, preparing meals for himself and his brother.

During his teenage years, Kerridge briefly pursued acting, including a role in the 1991 BBC1 Christmas special Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors. At 18, inspired by Marco Pierre White’s book White Heat, he decided to enroll in catering college in Cheltenham, committing to a culinary profession.

Career

Kerridge’s culinary journey began in 1991 as a commis chef at Calcot Manor. He advanced through positions at London’s Capital Hotel and the Stephen Bull restaurant in Marylebone. After serving as chef de partie, he joined Rhodes in the Square as sous chef under Gary Rhodes in 1999. Following two years as sous chef at Odettes, he assumed head chef roles at Bellamys Dining Room and later at Great Fosters in Surrey. His career also includes senior sous chef duties at Monsieur Max and head chef responsibilities at Norwich’s Adlards.

In 2005, Kerridge established his own gastropub, The Hand & Flowers, which earned its first Michelin star in 2006 and achieved a second star by 2012—making it the first pub to hold two Michelin stars. Kerridge has described himself as "not a Michelin-star kind of guy," a philosophy that shaped his gastropub concept. Among his signature creations is a pig roast consisting of pork belly prepared via bain-marie and roasted with crispy skin, served alongside a stuffed pig's trotter.

Kerridge has maintained a strong television presence, competing and judging on Great British Menu, making guest appearances on Saturday Kitchen, and co-presenting BBC’s Food and Drink since 2015. He hosted BBC Two shows including Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (2013) and Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge (2014). In 2013, he was honoured with the AA Chefs' Chef of the Year Award. His gastropub was recognised as the UK's leading gastropub for three consecutive years up to 2014.

In 2014, he received GQ’s Chef of the Year accolade and presented BBC Two’s Bake Off: Crème de la Crème in 2016. Kerridge co-hosted The Food Detectives (2016) and The Best of British Takeaways (2017), also presenting Tom Kerridge: Lose Weight For Good that same year. He initiated the Pub in the Park festival across multiple UK cities in 2017 and earned the Catey Awards' Chef Award.

On 2 October 2017, his Marlow establishment, The Coach, was awarded its first Michelin Star. April 2018 saw the launch of his catering venture LUSH by The Hand & Flowers. In September that year, he opened his inaugural London restaurant, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, within the Corinthia Hotel London, led by head chef Nick Beardshaw.

In January 2019, Kerridge presented BBC Two's Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start. That September, his Food Network UK series Tom Kerridge's American Feast premiered—a ten-part culinary journey across America. January 2020 featured BBC2 airing his series Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge, supported by an accompanying hardback cookbook.

November 2019 marked the opening of The Bull & Bear at Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel—a venture owned by former footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs alongside hotelier Winston Zahra. His twelve-part series Tom Kerridge Barbecues debuted on Food Network UK in July 2020.

In January 2021, Kerridge collaborated with British Airways to design a new short-haul economy menu for their Speedbird Café; previously he had crafted long-haul menus for their centenary celebrations in 2019.

The BBC announced in September 2021 that Kerridge would return as a judge for an upcoming series of Great British Menu. His restaurant The Bull & Bear closed on 31 December 2022, with staff offered roles elsewhere within his portfolio of businesses.

Andy Lewis accident

On 24 October 2018, Andy Lewis, a chef employed at The Hand & Flowers, suffered serious injuries when a pressurised stock boiler detonated, dousing him with 200 litres of scalding hot stock.

In a conversation with the Staff Canteen, Lewis recounted the extent of his injuries, his recovery journey, and the toll it took both mentally and physically. He acknowledged Tom Kerridge’s crucial support for him and his family during this challenging period. After undergoing seven months of rehabilitation, Lewis made a brief return to the restaurant before moving on to become head chef at the Sir Charles Napier Inn located near Chinnor in Oxfordshire.

Controversy

On 7 November 2012, Kerridge sided with fellow chefs in condemning a negative review posted by a diner on James Isherwood’s blog Dining With James regarding Claude Bosi’s restaurant Hibiscus. This action sparked public disapproval after Bosi and Michelin-starred chef Sat Bains responded sharply via Twitter.

Personal life

Kerridge seldom prepares meals at home. He has been an ardent Manchester United fan all his life, bearing a tattoo of the number 7 as a tribute to Bryan Robson, and holds a season ticket for Marlow F.C.

He is married to Beth Cullen-Kerridge, a sculptor; together they have one child named Acey (born in 2015). Kerridge has spoken openly about the early difficulties in managing their relationship alongside the intense workload involved in establishing his culinary ventures, which included working up to 90 hours weekly.

After reaching 40 years of age and weighing 30 stone (190.5 kg), Kerridge successfully shed 12 stone (76.2 kg) over five years by swimming regularly, abstaining from alcohol, cutting down on carbohydrates, and adopting the dopamine diet.

During the campaign for the 2024 UK general election, Kerridge publicly endorsed the Labour Party by signing an open letter.

England

Restaurant	Location	Rating	Date opened	Date closed
The Hand & Flowers	Marlow, Buckinghamshire	Template:Michelinstar	February 2005	-
The Coach	Marlow, Buckinghamshire	Template:Michelinstar	1 December 2015	-
The Butcher's Tap	Marlow, Buckinghamshire		17 November 2017	-
Kerridge’s Bar & Grill	Corinthia Hotel London, Westminster, London		10 September 2018	-
The Bull & Bear	Stock Exchange Hotel, Manchester		15 November 2019	31 December 2022
Kerridge’s Fish & Chips	Harrods, London		11 June 2021	-
The Butcher’s Tap & Grill, Chelsea	Chelsea, London, London		5 December 2023	-

Filmography

Year	Television Series	Role	Details
2010 & 2011	Great British Menu	Competitor	Participated in 2 seasons
2013	Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food	Presenter	Featured in 6 episodes
2014	Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge	Presenter	Appeared in 14 episodes
2014	Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes	Presenter	Presented 6 episodes
2016	The Food Detectives	Co-presenter	Season 1; 6 episodes
2016	Bake Off Creme de la Creme	Presenter	Season 1; 8 episodes
2018	Tom Kerridge's Lose Weight for Good	Presenter	Delivered 6 episodes
2018	Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge	Presenter	Season 1; 8 episodes
2019	Tom Kerridge's American Feast	Presenter	Consisted of 10 episodes
2019	Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start	Presenter	Included 6 episodes
2020	Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge	Presenter	Presented in 6 episodes
	Tom Kerridge Barbecues	Presenter	Comprised of 12 episodes
	Saving Britain's Pubs with Tom Kerridge	Presenter	Featured in 4 episodes
2022	Great British Menu	Judge	Appeared in Series 17
2022	Presenter	Food Network series; included 6 episodes plus a Christmas special
The Hidden World of Hospitality with Tom Kerridge	Presenter	Composed of 8 episodes
Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain	Presenter	Six-part series broadcasted
Tom Kerridge: Secrets of The Pub Kitchen	Presenter	Two series aired
Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain	Presenter	One series released

Books

Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (Released on 17 December 2013)
Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes (Published on 23 October 2014)
Tom's Table: My Favourite Everyday Recipes (Issued on 3 December 2015)
Tom Kerridge's Dopamine Diet (Available from 14 March 2017)
Lose Weight for Good (Published on 19 March 2019)
Lose Weight & Get Fit (Released on 14 January 2020)
The Hand & Flowers Cookbook (Issued on 12 January 2021)
Tom Kerridge's Outdoor Cooking: The Ultimate Modern Barbecue Bible (Published on 27 May 2021)
Real Life Recipes (Released on 1 September 2022)
Pub Kitchen: The Ultimate Modern British Food Bible (Published on 14 September 2023)
Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain (Set for release on 6 June 2024)
The BBQ Book (Scheduled for publication on 24 April 2025)

External references