
TV chef Tom Kerridge defended his pricey fish and chips after critics argued he was asking too much for the British staple – and revealed the dish’s horrific beginnings.
The 49-year-old restauranteur sparked outrage when he disclosed he was charging £35 for a platter of battered fish and chips in Harrod’s food hall.
Kerridge’s Fish and Chips servings were offered at the premium retail mall, and admirers of the cooking sensation were taken aback by the price.
Despite the criticism, Tom defended his asking price and explained why he thought the modest fish and chips were worth more than its customary low-cost and cheery category.
He admitted the backlash no longer bothered him and shared: ‘I’ve learnt to deal with it.
‘I’m seen as a man of the people, so when I put fish and chips on for £35, they shout at me for it being expensive,’ Tom told Radio Times.

The star continued telling the publication: ‘But the people criticising me don’t understand how it’s priced. Fish and chips was always seen as cheap, fast food and I get that because of where I grew up.
‘The fish in most chippies is frozen at sea, in a big block, a year ago, then cut up and portioned.
‘The potatoes are maybe four weeks old, have gone through a chipper, been cleaned and put into cheap oil. They’re wrapped in paper, with malt vinegar and salt.
‘I love it, but at Harrods it’s line-caught, day-boat turbot. The potatoes are specifically sourced for their sugar and starch content, then individually cut up by a person.’

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Fans were outraged after clocking the price of the traditional dish – that contained one piece of fish and eight chips – amid ‘the cost of living crisis’.
Underneath Tom’s social media post announcing his new menu item, one user penned: ‘The whole of the UK is in a shambles financially. But £35 for a scrawny bit of fish and seven or eight chips is fine. Oh and the thimbles of sauce.’
Another said: ‘Eight chips and a tiny thin bit of fish? This is pretentious b**ocks’.
The TV cooking professional began her career as a child actor before entering culinary school at the age of 18. She has been on programmes such as Great British Menu, MasterChef, and Saturday Kitchen.
After founding his first pub, the Hand & Flowers, with his wife Beth Cullen-Kerridge in 2005, he gained a Michelin star.
After being listed again, the chef went on to receive a second star for his services at the bar in 2012.
Picking up where he left off, the actor co-hosted the BBC show Food and Drink in 2015, having first appearing as a guest two years earlier in 2013.
Read the full interview in Radio Times.