To celebrate the launch of Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the Corinthia Hotel, we ask the British chef about his life in food.

This month sees Mr Tom Kerridge check in to the Corinthia Hotel London. The doors have opened at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the five-star hotel, and the chef’s first foray into the capital follows a decorated career that has seen him pick up Michelin stars and primetime TV slots, and created a mini-empire in the Buckinghamshire town of Marlow. There, his 2005-launched Hand & Flowers pub has picked up two Michelin stars, and two more ventures in the town – The Coach and The Butcher’s Tap – have followed. He’s now transferring his elevated take on traditional British food to a suitably lofty spot.

With decor overseen by David Collins Studio, the Corinthia’s double-height dining room pairs moody racing-green walls with burgundy-leather banquettes and a smattering of artwork, including two sculptures by Mr Kerridge’s wife, Ms Beth Cullen-Kerridge. These compete for attention with the rotisserie grill and glass cabinets displaying hung beef joints and the chef’s celebrated pig’s-cheek pies (complete with snout-shaped pastry lids) and help create a setting as sophisticated as Mr Kerridge’s menus. Below, he outlines his journey from Marlow to the English capital.

I’m trying to create food that speaks for itself.

“It’s about treating produce with love and respect and allowing it to do its own thing. We’re not trying to go over the top or do anything different here. It’s the same ethos as we had at The Hand & Flowers 14 years ago. We’re trying to create something that feels timeless, not something that’s on-trend. I want Kerridge’s Bar & Grill to feel like it’s always been there.”

I’m a really big fan of dairy.

“I trained in a French style of cooking with lots of stocks and braising. It’s quite an old-fashioned style, and dairy plays a role in that: it thickens and enriches sauces, it gives acidity and gives you cheese – all those things are great! On the menu at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill we’ve got a lobster thermidor omelette – it uses egg and a glaze, and Gruyère cheese, that all matches and marries up very nicely.”

The visual aspect of dishes is very important.

“We always look at what we can take away from a plate rather than what we can put on it. It is about letting everything speak for itself and not trying to show every skillset you know – I’ve been a chef for 27 years and I know how to do most things, but I don’t need to do them all on one plate. The key is consistency – there’s no point having 150 people coming for dinner if the same dish looks different all the time.”

It was the industry I fell in love with rather than the food.

“The food that I cook and deal with now is very different to the food from my childhood. I grew up in a single-parent family on an estate in Gloucestershire, and going out meant eating in a Harvester. My love of food developed while working hard in a kitchen, which is when I started to understand food and talk about produce.”

I didn’t eat in a Michelin-starred restaurant until I was 25.

“I don’t want Michelin stars to scare people off. Restaurants should be fun and inviting. For me it has always been a case of trying to find a balance between the food and the techniques I’ve learnt – but never wanting to make it intimidating.”

We’ve suddenly become quite proud of our heritage.

“In the 1990s, chefs were trying to be all Provençal – mashed potato flavoured with basil or various things with tomatoes and courgettes. But we’ve come to realise that we’re very good at growing potatoes and root vegetables, as well as braising, smoking and curing. Embracing those techniques and produce has been the biggest turnaround for British cookery. Rather than looking at the rest of world, people now understand what we’re good at and are taking it and running with it.”

Kerridge's Bar & Grill is now open at the Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall Place, London

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