An Evening In Tower Bridge & An Interview With Tom Kerridge

Last week I was invited to a rather awesome press event in Tower Bridge. Although I head to London quite often for various events I never end up doing anything remotely touristy so it was fun to wander around gazing at The Thames ( rather brown and murky ) and I was quite excited to get inside and have a look around.

They have this glass floor in the walkway between the two towers which seems ok when you stand on it but try walking along it whilst looking down – that’s a little eery.

Anyway.. I was invited by Zwilling to attend their event called The Modern Living Kitchen. The event was showcasing products from their brands Staub and Demeyere and there were also a few chefs doing live demos. I do love a chef demo, whether it’s a celebrity chef in the Good Food Show Supertheatre or a local chef cooking in an open kitchen – I just love watching people creating dishes. One of the chefs was Tom Kerridge and I’m a bit of a fan. Myself and Andrew love watching his shows and I’d seen him do wonderful things with bone marrow just a few weeks previously at the NEC so I was excited to chat to him and watch him cook.

The event was good fun although as it was held on the hottest day of the year it was incredibly hot and sticky! I felt sorry for the chefs cooking but not sorry enough that I didn’t want to sample the food 😉

Myself and fellow blogger Lovely Appetite enjoyed looking at the products and mentally adding things to our kitchen wish lists. For the record I really loved the mini cocette stand and this gorgeous large red cocette:

Tom Kerridge was just as lovely in person as he seems on his shows and it was fun to watch him cook and listen to him chat to us about his restaurant.

An Interview With Tom Kerridge:

I asked him a few questions and this is what he had to say:

With the success and rather incredible waiting list at The Hand and Flowers how do you manage to keep things fresh on your menu? Is it difficult to continue to experiment as a chef when you are so busy?

To be honest, the Hand and Flowers isn’t about experimenting freshness and pushing the boundaries of cuisine, its always been about robust food, just the best produce. When we find a dish that works, it slowly evolves rather than quickly adapts.

Do you have a favourite dish that you could cook over and over again and never get bored of it?

The omelette Arnold Bennett has been on from the start and is incredibly well rehearsed. Four very simple components – great eggs, beautiful smoked haddock, first class parmesan, and a well seasoned glaze. Like anything, the more you practise something the better you become at it.

How many staff do you have working for you at your restaurant?

Across both sites, The Hand and Flowers and The Coach, there are 85 members of staff.

Is there a dish that is so popular that you wouldn’t consider removing it from the menu?

It is not about popularity, its about a vibe and a feel, so steak and chips has been on from the beginning, because I think every good pub should offer it. I can’t ever see that not being on the menu.

Do you have any favourite Zwilling products that you would recommend to home chefs?

I’m a huge fan of all Staub ware for its multifunction use, it cooks well and is fantastic to serve in. Its robust and lasts a long time. Also the Zwilling pans cookware and the Demeyere cook range have an exceptional build quality, and conduct heat beautifully and evenly.

You explained earlier that your staff had a fist fight to get their hands on a certain pan, which pan was that? ( because I think I need it )

It was one of the first Demeyere frying pans that we came across.

And last but not certainly not least.. How do I get a table? 😉

Try on our website, www.thehandandflowers.co.uk, or drop us an email, its always best to be flexible which what you are looking for, and we promise we will get you in evenly.

Thanks to Tom for answering my questions and to Zwilling for a fun evening.