z food
Special K J
ust over 10 years ago, Tom Kerridge, an ambitious young chef trained by Gary Rhodes and David Adlard, left Norfolk with the dream of owning his own establishment. And as you will doubtless know, things haven’t gone too badly for him in the interim... Within a year of opening The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, in 2005, he had been awarded a Michelin star. That he now has two – the effortlessly stylish yet altogether comfortable gastropub was the first in the country to be bestowed such an accolade – is testament to the quality of Kerridge’s trademark “posh pub grub” that has seen his celebrity star rise in tandem with his reputation. But Kerridge has never forgotten the successful education he was afforded when he rose to head chef at Adlard's self-titled restaurant in Norwich city centre in 2003, working with the legendary owner, who himself was one of the first British cooks to be awarded a Michelin star.
“I have got so much to thank David
for,” Kerridge says “and he really was one of my culinary heroes. First and foremost he is a phenomenal guy, quite a quirky... okay then, a pretty crazy guy! He has one of those unequivocally English personalities you encounter from time to time, but he was an incredible person to work around and he taught me a lot. He gave me the chance to look after a Michelin-starred restaurant, and with everything we did in Norwich it was about food and restaurant philosophy. People say you can’t teach that, but trust me, you can, and he did! And working under David made me believe I could go on to work and aspire to do something at that level.”
Though Kerridge was at Adlard’s for little over a year, the period, and Norfolk itself, still has significant influence on his work. The food that the 41-year-old has made his signature - traditional, earthy classics with a modern, gastro twist - is Adlard all over. “It’s so similar to what David would make that I can’t really take
38 Calves’ liver with onion fritters - a classic given the Tom Kerridge treatment
“The sausages (at Newmarket) are easily the match of anywhere else in the country and Suffolk ham is as succulent and salty as you can imagine.”
the credit for it!” he laughs. “It’s also similar to how many chefs prepare their food. The county is largely unique in that regard - obviously it’s all a consequence of the surroundings, but for taste and inspiration it’s all very down to earth and ingredient-led.
“It was amazing for me when I was learning my trade to get exposure to these great British ingredients. If I was getting my education in a restaurant in London I may have missed that altogether.” And when referencing the part
Norfolk has played on his work, Kerridge is also quick to praise food elsewhere in East Anglia.“Suffolk also has some wonderful produce and it keeps you coming back. The sausages (at Newmarket) are easily the match of anywhere else in the country and Suffolk ham is as succulent and salty as you can imagine. The potatoes in this part of the world are of perfect texture, the strawberries and foraged vegetables full of flavour and the farmed poultry, the game absolutely impeccable also. The standard of the produce in East
the rise of chef Tom Kerridge
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