Celebrated chef Tom Kerridge has confessed his fondness for a bag of pork scratchings.
The Gloucester-born culinary maestro, holder of three Michelin stars, disclosed he is a “massive fan” of the simple snack, which isn’t typically associated with a balanced diet.
However, Tom thinks otherwise. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he said: “I’m a massive fan of pork scratchings. I don’t think anybody would have them down as part of a healthy diet, but they’d work well if you’re looking at low carbs.
“It definitely has to be a packet of Mr Porky. I’m a non-drinker now, so I’ll probably have them with a coffee. I probably do have more than the recommended daily amount of caffeine.”
Tom’s Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, made history by becoming the first pub to be awarded two Michelin stars, reports Gloucestershire Live.
The esteemed chef later launched a second establishment in Marlow, named the Coach, which also earned a Michelin star.
Despite achieving remarkable success with his sophisticated cuisine, the 52 year old recently revealed a high street chain restaurant that holds a special place in his heart.
During an appearance on Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things podcast, Tom confessed that he generally avoids most high street eateries. However, he did admit to having a soft spot for a cheeky Nando’s for two reasons.
He remarked: “To be honest, no. I try to avoid them. If you’ve got restaurants, you want to eat in them, you normally go there. If you mean like McDonald’s and KFC I never, I don’t have them. I don’t mind a Nando’s though I got to be honest. Nando’s is alright.
“It’s a bit of a funny date night for me and my wife. So we’ve got a young son, he’s nine, so if we get a night out and we live in Marlow.
“We got a posh Everyman (a cinema chain) open in Marlow, but before that there was the ones up in High Wycombe and we would go for a cheeky Nando’s and then a movie. That was a date night out, yeah, Nando’s High Wycombe.”
The father also expressed his fondness for dining at Nando’s because it’s a place where nobody is concerned with how many Michelin stars he or any other patron might have.
Tom added: “That’s the beautiful thing. You go to Nando’s no-one knows who you are, no-one cares. It doesn’t matter.
“They’re not looking at who are the Michelin-starred chefs in Nando’s. No-one knows who you are, that’s what I like about a Nando’s.”
Tom likened the experience of working in a bustling kitchen to participating in professional sports. He explained to the Telegraph: “When you’re a player, in the kitchen, doing all the cooking, it’s like a sportsman on the field.
“As you get older, your knees don’t work as much, your back’s tired, you move up from being the player into coaching, as a head chef or restaurateur.”
