THE RESTAURANT trade is not for the fainthearted – any business owner emerging from the last couple of years will attest to this – but Michelin chef Tom Kerridge has never been averse to seizing an opportunity and rolling the dice.
In 2005, Kerridge and his artist wife Beth bought a rundown pub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and invested every penny they had in the business. The gamble paid off, and then some – within 10 months The Hand & Flowers won its first Michelin star and it’s been one of Britain’s finest gastronomic flag bearers ever since. “It was a real case of just grabbing an opportunity and running with it. Working with your other half is amazing. Sometimes it’s very hard to know the boundaries between your work life and home life