Tom Kerridge hits back at critics who moaned about his £37 fish and chips

29 January 2025, 15:44

Tom Kerridge has slammed critics of his £37 fish and chips.
Tom Kerridge has slammed critics of his £37 fish and chips. Picture: Alamy

By Henry Moore

Tom Kerridge has slammed critics who complained about his eye-watering £37 fish and chips served at luxury department store Harrods.

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The Market Day Fish Meal, which will set you back £37, includes one piece of Cornish fish coated in a gluten-free batter, eight chips, curry sauce, tartare sauce and pease pudding.

The price tag has seen the Michelin-starred chef slammed by diners - who think 40 quid might be too steep a price for a meal with just eight chips.

But Kerridge, 51, has insisted those looking for a “cheap and cheerful” fish and chips are in the wrong place.

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The dish features a piece of fish and eight chips.
The dish features a piece of fish and eight chips. Picture: Tom Kerridge

He told The Times: “Do the people who shout about the price of my fish and chips [£37] also shout at Ferrari when it launches a new car?

“If you're getting the best you can get, that's how much it is.

“It’s very different from a fish and chip shop like where I grew up. Frozen blocks of fish, which are sometimes shipped to China to be processed, are different from fish caught by a guy who has been on a boat throughout the night.”

He also reassured diners he is not the one who determines the price of food at Harrods’ luxury restaurant.

“I have nothing to do with the pricing at Harrods, really. So I have everything to do with the quality of produce that we buy,” he told the TopJaw Instagram account.

Tom Kerridge's Fish and chips at The Hand & Flowers pub and restaurant, Marlow.
Tom Kerridge's Fish and chips at The Hand & Flowers pub and restaurant, Marlow. Picture: Alamy

“It's day boat fish. It's really expensive, and all of those sorts of things. They set the price, that's nothing to do with me.

“That backlash always comes back to me. But it's also in the most beautiful food hall, arguably, in the world, in the most expensive shop, in the most expensive city, in the most expensive part of the city, in the world.

“It's Harrods, everything about it is going to be expensive. If you're expecting something cheap and cheerful, you don't get cheap and cheerful in Harrods. You get a quality level.”

This isn’t the first time Kerridge has come under fire for the price of his food - with foodies raging at the £9.50 he charges for a portion of thick-cut chips.

But he continues to insist the best meals require the best ingredients, and that comes at a price.