“Terrifying and daunting” is how Tom Kerridge describes the moment he got the keys to The Hand & Flowers. That moment, 20 years ago today, shaped the lives of him and his wife Beth in ways they would never have expected. It’s made them hugely successful restaurateurs; it’s put Marlow on the culinary map; and it’s seen their very own pub awarded Two MICHELIN Stars. Today, Tom is a British TV staple, an icon of pub cooking, and The Hand and Flowers is a true one-of-a-kind in the UK restaurant world. Yet two decades ago, the hard work was only just beginning. To celebrate their pub’s 20th anniversary, Tom and Beth spoke to The MICHELIN Guide about their story so far.
Rollercoaster Ride
He may have been daunted, but Tom Kerridge was equally filled with anticipation at what he could achieve with The Hand and Flowers. “It was a moment filled with immense excitement and anticipation for what we thought would be a tranquil journey of pub and restaurant ownership!” he explains. “Little did we know what 20 years of owning a business would be like.” He likens the experience to white-water rafting and it feels like an apt analogy for the restaurant world: constantly changing direction and fighting the currents, but having a whale of a time doing it. “We wouldn’t change it for the world,” he says. “The experiences and knowledge that you gain, not just with food, but through life, is incredible.”
An enticing soup and an exceptional banana soufflé at The Hand and Flowers. © The Hand and Flowers/Cristian Barnett
A Family Affair
What makes The Hand and Flowers’ story so special is that the journey Tom and Beth went on was not just a professional one but a personal one. The pair had not been married long when it opened and the pub has formed the core of their lives. “It has been an incredible business that we are still in daily,” Beth tells us. “It is amazing for our son Acey; he ate his first ‘solid’ at The Hand & Flowers, black pudding purée. And [it’s been great] for his development, mixing with adults, and helping him to understand the business that he is immersed in.”With a career as a sculptor alongside the day-to-day operation of the business, Beth has also been able to show off her art to a wider audience thanks to The Hand and Flowers. “The success of The Hand & Flowers has been a foundation for pushing on with my career, which I paused when we opened,” she explains. “I have been able to have a huge sculpture in front of the Opera House in Dubai, and the current show in Palm Beach in Florida, with some of the pieces I developed in a small little studio in the back of The Hand & Flowers 20 years ago!”
The bar, which remains an integral part of The Hand and Flowers. © The Hand and Flowers
Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork
You don’t get to 20 years without getting something right, and one thing that Tom and Beth have definitely gotten right over the years is their recruitment. From Head Chef Tom de Keyser, who keeps the place running at a consistently high level every day, to Tom’s former right-hand man Nick Beardshaw, who won his own Star this February for Starling, the team at The Hand and Flowers have been exceptional. When asked the secret of his pub’s longevity, Tom acknowledges the vital role of his whole band of ‘pirates’, as he affectionately calls them. “It sounds like such a cliché, but it is so true, and it is always the people that work in it,” he says. “Our relationship with The Hand & Flowers is no different now to day one. The other spaces in our group have developed through organic growth of staff members that have been with us for over a decade, allowing them to take up the reins and roles with the safety of an experienced team at The Hand & Flowers behind them.”
The outside of The Hand and Flowers and a top-class rendition of fish & chips. © Cristian Barnett
The Perfect Pub?
When it comes to food, it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than The Hand and Flowers being the finest pub in all the land. Yet, as Tom and Beth know as well as anyone, there’s no such thing as the ‘perfect pub’ and each individual person looks for something different, attaching themselves to certain pubs in deeply felt ways that are unique to them. Beth, for instance, looks for “a warm welcome and a cosy atmosphere”. “I think you can tell who loves their own pub, the minute you walk in the door,” she says.She and Tom are certainly people who love their pub, still dedicating their time to it even as the Kerridge empire has grown and grown (they have another Star up the road at The Coach, along with a swish venture inside London’s Corinthia Hotel). “Although we are personally at The Hand & Flowers less, Beth still runs the business from an administration and cost point of view, every single day, from the office,” Tom says. “And nothing happens, changes or moves at The Hand & Flowers without me being a part of that process. And also, as we live in Marlow, it is still very much part of my weekly routine!”
Smoked haddock omelette and steak & chips at The Hand and Flowers, two of Tom Kerridge's own favourites. © Cristian Barnett
Proper Pub Grub
20 years is a long time, and The Hand and Flowers will have served thousands of dishes in that time – but even as the restaurant has gone from strength to strength and evolved over the years, something in its DNA has remained the same: it’s a pub. “I think pub food genuinely has to have a sense of familiarity about it, and comfort and warmth,” says Tom, when asked to define the genre of cooking he himself has helped to redefine at the highest level. “Of course, you can be experimental and individual, but in general I think guests look for a sense of knowing. I also believe that the heart and soul of pubs comes from having proper beer. Having real ales and lagers on offer makes a real difference to the offering.”What’s made The Hand and Flowers so special is how this pubby core has been retained whilst the menu evolves and individual dishes are refined and played with. “We are very proud of the braised shin of beef, H&F carrot and dumpling,” Tom says providing a perfect example of his cooking’s appeal. “It was on the menu pretty much when we started, and we continued to grow and develop this dish, stuffing it into bone marrow, and it has been more and more refined over the years. It still has the heart and soul of a beef stew.”
And yet that braised beef shin still wouldn’t quite make it onto Tom’s final meal at his pub, should the culinary gods force him into such a difficult choice. That honour goes to: “Smoked haddock and parmesan omelette, a play on omelette Arnold Bennett, which has been on pretty much from the start. Followed by classic steak and chips, then crème brûlée. A wonderful play on an Elizabeth David recipe, using four simple ingredients – cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar. A very well-practised, beautiful dish, using the finest ingredients you can find.”
And that, in a nutshell, is The Hand and Flowers, a place with a simple and honest soul that has been honed into a truly remarkable place. Tom and Beth may have been terrified when their journey began but, 20 years on, it looks like they’re rather good at this.
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Hero Image: © Hand and Flowers/Cristian Barnett
