Tom Kerridge
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · British cuisine · b. 1973
The first chef to win two Michelin stars at a British pub — modern British food without pretension.
Biography
Tom Kerridge is a British chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter best known as the chef-proprietor of The Hand & Flowers, a pub-restaurant in Marlow, Buckinghamshire that in 2012 became the first pub in the history of the Michelin Guide to be awarded two stars — a distinction it still holds.
Kerridge was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and trained at Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire and Rhodes in the Square in London under Gary Rhodes, among others. He opened The Hand & Flowers in 2005 with his wife, the sculptor Beth Cullen-Kerridge, taking over a then-tired Marlow pub. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2006 — within a year of opening — and its second in 2012, breaking new ground for British pub cooking and forcing Michelin to acknowledge the gastropub as a serious fine-dining format.
His cooking is rooted in classic British pub dishes (slow-cooked duck, fish and chips, pies, suet puddings) reworked with refined French technique and high-quality British ingredients. Since the success of The Hand & Flowers he has opened The Coach (also in Marlow, one Michelin star), The Butcher's Tap, Kerridge's Bar & Grill at the Corinthia Hotel in London, and a string of casual sites. He has presented multiple BBC series, including 'Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food,' 'Lose Weight for Good' (after he himself lost more than 12 stone) and 'Saving Britain's Pubs.' He was awarded an MBE in 2018.
Cooking Philosophy
Proper pub food, taken seriously. Kerridge argues that the British pub is one of the country's great culinary institutions and that there is no reason its food cannot be of the highest standard. His menus stick deliberately close to the pub canon — duck, lamb, fish and chips, pies, suet puddings — but every component is rebuilt from scratch using the techniques of a Michelin-starred kitchen.
Restaurants
- The Hand & FlowersMarlow, Buckinghamshire
Two Michelin stars since 2012 — the first and only UK pub to hold two stars.
- The CoachMarlow, Buckinghamshire
One Michelin star; smaller, walk-in-only pub with an all-day small-plates menu.
- Kerridge's Bar & GrillCorinthia Hotel, London
Modern British grill and brasserie inside the Corinthia Hotel near Whitehall.
- The Butcher's TapMarlow / Marylebone
Butcher-shop-and-pub concept serving steaks and pub classics.
Awards & Recognition
- 2 Michelin stars (The Hand & Flowers, since 2012)
- 1 Michelin star (The Coach, since 2017)
- MBE (2018) for services to the hospitality industry
- AA Chef of the Year (2011)
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- Proper Pub Food (2013)
- Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes (2014)
- Lose Weight for Good (2017)
- Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain (2023)
Recipes in Tom's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the british cooking tradition that Tom works in. They are not direct reproductions of Tom's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
In Tom's Own Words
“Pubs are the heart of British communities. They deserve serious food.”
— Saving Britain's Pubs (BBC, 2020)
“There is no shame in cooking what people actually want to eat.”
— Interview, The Times
Career Timeline
Begins his cooking career as a commis chef at Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire.
Works under Gary Rhodes at Rhodes in the Square, Pimlico, London.
Opens The Hand & Flowers in Marlow with his wife Beth Cullen-Kerridge.
The Hand & Flowers earns its first Michelin star within a year of opening.
Wins AA Chef of the Year.
The Hand & Flowers becomes the first pub in the UK ever to be awarded two Michelin stars.
Opens The Coach, a second Marlow pub.
The Coach earns a Michelin star; Kerridge launches the Lose Weight for Good BBC series after losing 12 stone.
Opens Kerridge's Bar & Grill at the Corinthia Hotel, London; awarded an MBE.
Presents 'Saving Britain's Pubs' during the pandemic, campaigning for the survival of independent UK pubs.
Mentors & Influences
Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Kerridge
What is The Hand & Flowers?
The Hand & Flowers is a pub-restaurant in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, owned by Tom Kerridge and his wife Beth. It opened in 2005 and in 2012 became the first pub in the history of the Michelin Guide to be awarded two stars — a distinction it has held continuously since.
How many Michelin stars does Tom Kerridge have?
Across his group, three at present: two at The Hand & Flowers and one at The Coach, both in Marlow. He is the only chef to hold Michelin stars at two separate British pubs.
Did Tom Kerridge really lose 12 stone?
Yes. Kerridge has spoken publicly about losing more than 12 stone (around 76 kg) from a peak weight of around 30 stone in the mid-2010s, primarily through cutting alcohol, controlling carbohydrates and exercising. He turned the experience into the BBC series and book 'Lose Weight for Good.'
Where is Marlow?
Marlow is a market town on the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, about 35 miles west of central London. It is also home to Heston Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck and one-starred The Hinds Head in nearby Bray, making the area one of the most Michelin-dense in the UK.
What style of food does Kerridge cook?
Modern British pub food reworked with the technique of a fine-dining kitchen. Dishes include slow-cooked duck breast with peas and duck fat chips, fish and chips with a matzo crumb, glazed omelette of smoked haddock with hollandaise, and pressed tongue with chunky chips. The menu deliberately stays close to the British pub canon but every component is built from scratch to two-star standard.
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