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Tom Kerridge, a celebrity chef, justified his expensive restaurant menus by stating that “successful people” should not feel bad for “earning excellent money” because it will not alleviate child hunger.
The Michelin-starred chef, who has six restaurants in London, Manchester, and Buckinghamshire and is 49 years old, stated that it is feasible to assist the poor while also serving expensive meals to those who can afford them.
The MasterChef star was previously criticized for asking £87 for a sirloin steak and chips at his two Michelin-starred pub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, The Hand and Flowers.
Kerridge has continued to defend the decision to serve pricey meals at a time when millions of Americans are facing a deepening cost of living issue.
He told The Times that people shouldn’t be “punished” for “earning good money” and added, “you don’t assist to feed children by making successful people humiliated, and I am one of those people.”
It comes as grocery bills have risen at the quickest rate since 2008, increasing by £533 for the average household.
The restaurant, which was previously billed as a “casual” and “affordable” dining experience, sells pork loin and chicken pie for £69 and £68, respectively.
During the epidemic, he faced a ferocious reaction for selling takeout Christmas meals for £95 per person that customers were required to cook at home.
Two months later, he was also criticized for similar Valentine’s Day cards that cost £185.
He has consistently defended the price tag by claiming that high-end food goods and hefty staff salaries are the primary factors behind the menu’s price.
However, despite catering to those with wealthy tastes, the chef spends a significant amount of time as a food activist.
During the pandemic last year, the television chef collaborated with Manchester United footballer and food-poverty hero Marcus Rashford to assist families offer nutritious, inexpensive, and full meals.
Launched in April 2021, the Full Time Meals initiative aims to reduce child food insecurity by distributing accessible and simple to prepare recipes.
He stated, “It angers me that there are more food banks than McDonald’s restaurants in our nation.”
Explaining his decision to serve high-end products while helping those in need, he stated, “It’s better for me and Marcus to post 52 budget-friendly dishes on social media, which will help feed a large number of hungry children, rather than, say, just donating £50,000.”
He continued, ‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you want to ride in a Bentley, you have to pay for it.
If you’re on a tight budget, there’s an intensively farmed Ford Focus around the corner, and I’m fine with that.
Kerridge was raised in a council estate in Gloucester, where he began cooking for his younger brother while his single mother worked two jobs.
After training a cook, he made the Hand & Flowers the first British bar to receive two Michelin stars.
However, the award-winning bar has not been able to dodge growing inflation expenses, which continue to bite across the nation.
He described how the price of butter has increased from £23 a box to £70 per box, and how the price of vegetable oil has increased by nearly 200 percent.