Tom Kerridge Hits Back After Criticism For His Pub's £87 Sirloin Steak
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Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has defended the prices for food at his two-time Michelin star winning pub The Hand and Flowers.
Kerridge hit back after a scathing tweet from a wine connoisseur suggesting that the Marlow pub's prices were a lot.
To give this some context, the sirloin steak and chips costs £87, a side of cabbage is quoted at £7.50, and the crème brûlée will set you back £26.50.
Guy Woodward tweeted his shock at the prices for his food, pointing out some of the things that The Hand and Flowers claims to be online, such as 'accessible' and a 'proper pub'.
He said: Website of [The Hand and Flowers] by [Tom Kerridge]- 'unpretentious', 'proper pub', 'for everyone to enjoy' 'relaxed and accessible'.
Also [The Hand and Flowers] - steak and chips: £87; side of cabbage: £7.50; creme brûlée: £26.50. And people complain about wine list mark-ups..."
Website of @handfmarlow by @ChefTomKerridge - 'unpretentious', 'proper pub', 'for everyone to enjoy' 'relaxed and accessible'.
Also @handfmarlow - steak and chips: £87; side of cabbage: £7.50; creme brûlée: £26.50. And people complain about wine list mark-ups...
- Guy Woodward (@guyawoodward) August 29, 2021
However, Kerridge hit back at the criticism, suggesting that there are mitigating circumstances and decent reasons that the food costs so much, specifically that he chooses to pay his staff a fair wage.
He tweeted: "Those prices include everything , vat and service. No additional service charge at all. Also I pay staff properly and treat their job as a professional career.
"Perhaps the real cost of dining should be addressed. Unpretentious does not mean cheap. Also, why is profit a bad word?"
Those prices include everything , vat and service. No additional service charge at all. Also I pay staff properly and treat their job as a professional career. Perhaps the real cost of dining should be addressed. Unpretentious does not mean cheap. Also, why is profit a bad word?
- Tom Kerridge (@ChefTomKerridge) August 29, 2021
The argument continued further, with Woodward responding: "My issue isn't with the prices - people are evidently happy to pay them.
"It's the marketing. £87 for steak and chips is hardly an 'unpretentious, proper pub' that's 'accessible to everyone....'."
To that, Kerridge replied: "You're [sic] interpretation of accessible is different. We do have a set lunch."
This isn't the first time that Kerridge's prices have caused a bit of a stir.
In fact, according to The Mirror, one of Kerridge's restaurants serves the 'most expensive' fish and chips in the UK, coming in at a whopping £32.50.
For that, you get just seven chips, which are sprinkled with herbs and come with tartare, pease pudding and curry sauce.
If you're lucky enough to be eating at the five-star Corinthia hotel in London, you can grab yourself this upmarket take on the British classic.
Either way, it seems as if people are willing enough to pay the prices, and if Kerridge is paying his staff well, that's certainly a good thing too.
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Food, UK News, TV and Film, Money, Food And Drink, UK Entertainment
