By James Nadal
THE regal taste buds of Prince Charles have sampled his culinary delights and his skills have beamed across the nation on BBC show the Great British Menu.
Now, Hand and Flowers owner Tom Kerridge, 37, is looking forward to dishing up some savoury treats at the Marlow Food Festival.
Food lovers across Buckinghamshire can see the chef at work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fieldhouse Lane, Marlow in September.
Tom, triumphant on the BBC 2 programme last year with his dish slow-cooked duck with duck fat chips and gravy, will be doing cooking demonstrations along with a host of acclaimed names from eateries across Britain.
The winning meal - eaten by the Prince of Wales at a banquet - will be among the demonstrations he carries out.
He told Freetime: “It’s a great opportunity to showcase Marlow as being a centre of food, great restaurants and a great place to be.
“Marlow Food Festival is a great a chance to put it on the map.
“There’s a great number of chefs coming down from all over the country to do a demonstration which is fantastic.
“People can see them right on their doorstep.”
Marlow resident Tom, based at the award winning West Street restaurant for nearly six years, was unavailable to appear at the town’s first food festival last year - leaving him even more enthused about the forthcoming event.
“It’s a chance to see local producers and suppliers as well, so if you’ve got a couple hours that weekend get down and see what’s going on,” he said.
So, do the people of Marlow have a strong appetite for good food? According to Tom, they do.
“This whole Thames Valley area is fantastic. There’s a lot of good restaraunts and a lot of good people who support them.”
For Tom, who went straight into becoming a chef after school at the age of 18, food is everything and his passion for his work is obvious.
“Being a chef is something very different to being a good cook. I think being a chef becomes a way of life. It’s not just something you can pick up and put down.
“You live it, your whole life is being a chef. It’s about very early mornings, very late night and working very hard.
“I think kitchen camaraderie and that sort of stuff lends itself to being a bit of a rock and roll lifestyle which has always been attractive.”
The Hand and Flowers opened in March 2005 and gained a Michelin star in less than a year - as well as three AA Rosettes and one Egon Ronay Star.
The food festival takes place on Saturday September 11 and and Sunday September 12.
BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull will talk on both days to talk about his new book “The Bad Beekeeper”, while gourmet barbecue specialists Man, Meat Fire and Chris Day of Jimmy’s Farm are also confirmed.
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