The art of HOSPITALITY

TOM KERRIDGE on exploring the joys and challenges of his beloved industry, and celebrating a milestone birthday

- REBECCA FLETCHER.

THE HIDDEN WORLD OF HOSPITALITY WITH TOM KERRIDGE

THURSDAY, 8PM, BBC2 FACTUAL

Tom Kerridge is all smiles recounting his recent road trip through France with friends to celebrate his upcoming 50th birthday.

‘We drove down to Marseille to eat at a three- Michelin-starred restaurant,’ says the celebrity chef, who’s quick to offer croissants and coffee as TV Times arrives for a chat in his restaurant at the elegant hotel Corinthia London. ‘It was myself and five chef pals and they just had a couple of glasses of wine – it was very different from my 40th!’

It certainly was. In those days, Tom was approaching 30st in weight and drinking alcohol every night as his Michelin-starred success took a profound toll on his health.

‘My ambition as a chef, my drive to define myself as having a pub with two Michelin stars, nearly came at an extremely high price,’ says Tom. ‘Alcohol was a release of the professional pressure I was putting on myself. If I hadn’t stopped drinking, I wouldn’t be here now.’

Happily, Tom managed to shed the pounds and ditch the alcohol, and he is now flying high as the owner of two Michelin-starred pubs in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, as well as restaurants in London and a catering business.

But that dogged pursuit of culinary excellence still fascinates Tom and is one of the topics explored in his new eight-part BBC2 series The Hidden World of Hospitality with Tom Kerridge.

Lifting the lid on the industry he loves, Tom travels around the UK visiting 16 food venues to reveal the trade secrets as well as the extreme highs and crushing lows that come with trying to give the great British public an enjoyable dining experience.