Tom Kerridge’s first role in a professional kitchen was as a commis chef in 1991 at Calcot Manor. Throughout his career, he has worked at the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, the Stephen Bull restaurant in Marylebone, and Rhodes in the Square as a sous chef under GARY Rhodes. He then spent time at Odettes in London, became head chef at Bellamys Dining Room in 2001, and then at Great Fosters in Surrey. He moved to London to work at Monsieur Max until 2003, where he moved to Norwich to work as head chef at Adlards.
Tom and his wife Beth opened The Hand & Flowers pub in 2005, and within a year he had gained his first Michelin star. It also became the first pub to win a second Michelin star in 2012. He opened a second pub, The Coach, also in Marlow which won him another Michelin star. He opened the pub and butcher The Butcher’s Tap, and in 2018 opened his first London restaurant at Corinthia Hotel.
In 2014, The Hand & Flowers was named the UK’s top gastropub for the third consecutive year at the Budweiser Budvar Top 50 Gastropubs Awards. That year also saw him win GQ’s Chef of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards. In 2017, he won the Chef Award at the Catey Awards.
Tom Kerridge | #VATsThe Problem
Tom Kerridge is also spearheading the #VATsTheProblem movement, bringing the country together to call for a fairer 10% VAT rate for hospitality.
The majority of European countries know how important hospitality is to society and they know it pays too much tax, which is why they support it with lower VAT rates, but currently, the UK don’t.
By lowering VAT on hospitality, the hope is that jobs will be protected, local businesses will be supported, and hospitality will have a stronger future.
Tom Kerridge | TV
Tom presented the BBC series Bake Off Crème De La Crème (2016), which saw some of the country’s top pastry chefs compete, creating elaborate pastries and desserts. He was also involved in the BBC2 show The Food Detectives (2016), which helped people improve their cooking skills.
Other TV presenting roles include Proper Pub Food (2013), Spring Kitchen With Tom Kerridge (2014), Best Ever Dishes (2014), Lose Weight For Good (2018), Top of the Shop (2018), American Feast (2019), Fresh Start (2019), Lose Weight and Get Fit (2020), Tom Kerridge Barbecues (2020), Saving Britain’s Pubs (2020), The Hidden World of Hospitality (2023), Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain (2024), Secrets of the Pub Kitchen (2024-25), Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain (2025), and Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy (2026).
In 2022 he became the head judge on the popular BBC2 show Great British Menu, alongside fellow judges Ed Gamble, Nisha Katona, Lorna McNee, and Phil Wang.
Tom Kerridge | Books
Tom has written a number of bestselling cookery books, including:
– Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food (2013)
– Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes (2014)
– Tom’s Table: My Favourite Everyday Recipes (2015)
– Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet (2017)
– Lose Weight For Good (2019)
– Lose Weight and Get Fit (2020)
– The Hand & Flowers Cookbook (2021)
– Tom Kerridge’s Outdoor Cooking: The Ultimate Barbecue Bible (2021)
– Real Life Recipes (2022)
– Pub Kitchen: The Ultimate Modern British Food Bible (2023)
– Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain (2024)
– The BBQ Book (2025)
Tom Kerridge | Corporate
Tom Kerridge is now a popular and highly sought-after speaker and host for corporate events. His knowledge of food and the restaurant industry is second to none and his demonstrations create the most mesmerising entertainment for your event.
