To be successful as a chef, you have to be motivated and disciplined. To be successful as a chef And However, keeping your body in shape requires a lot of self-control.
Tom Kerridge, owner of two Michelin-starred gastropubs and winner of numerous culinary awards, seems to have cracked the code. He has lost 62kg over several years (he once weighed 150kg), and his commitment to improving his health has become a success story that attracts a lot of attention. Now in his sixth decade, he is much fitter than he was in his 40s, and he works out regularly in the gym, setting personal bests in deadlifts and squats.
He spoke with Men’s health about how he managed his busy schedule and why he should be knighted for drinking beers.
MH: We always start these interviews with the same question. So, Tom, what did you have for dinner last night?
TK: At around 6pm I ate two slices of pork tenderloin – plain, nothing else. Then I went for a late night Wattbike ride and then at around 11.30pm I ate some grapes and some cheese.
Do you often have to plan dinner between your numerous appointments?
My whole world is so chaotic. It’s brilliant and I love it, but it has no real structure. When I’m in Marlow, I skip breakfast and go straight to the gym because I find it difficult to do anything after I’ve eaten something. I have black coffee before I go and a flat white afterwards as a treat. Then I keep going until lunch, which is usually some kind of salad or protein-rich plate. It might also be a packet of pork cracklings and a bottle of water from a garage because I’m driving somewhere.
What would a typical dinner at home look like?
I might be back once a week in the evening to make my son tea. It’s as simple as new potatoes, a few pieces of chicken and broccoli roasted in an air fryer. He can’t just grow up learning about Peruvian cuisine all the time or the different cooking methods you can do with coals. I remember thinking as a kid that baked potatoes and baked beans with grated cheese on top were awesome. And it still is.
How hard is it to eat healthy when your world is all about food?
There are days when we test 12 cakes a day. You have to eat pastries. The next day I might eat very little and train twice as hard to make up for the overeating from the day before.
How does your diet compare to when you lived an unhealthier lifestyle?
I generally try to avoid sugar in any form. Maybe once a month I’ll have dessert when we’re at a restaurant, but more likely I’ll order cheese. (To lose weight) I swam a mile every day, stopped drinking, and ate very few carbs. I’m still trying to stay low carb. I’ve been trying to find out if there’s a beer diet that I can
just drink beer and eat nothing, but that doesn’t exist.
What effect did drinking have on you?
When you drink a lot all the time, you make bad choices. Last night I had some grapes and cheese because two slices of pork weren’t enough for me. But when you’ve had 16 pints of Stella late at night, the grapes versus cheese decision is very different – the cheese is probably on a pizza with lots of pepperoni slices on it.
What role does alcohol play in your life today?
I sell it in the most amazing, unbelievable places, but I am Walter White from breaking Bad – I’m not taking part. Nothing at all. It will be 11 years in November this year. I miss the chaos and turmoil that I was in. I’m glad I did it and I’d argue I did it better than anyone else. If there was an Olympics for drinking, I’d be Sir Steve Redgrave. I’d be celebrated, I’d be Sportsman of the Year and I’d have won it a couple of times, I reckon.
Dreaming guests for a dinner party?
Alex Ferguson, Liam Gallagher, Jess Phillips, Joe Marler and Chef Paul Bocuse.
Meal for death row?
Turbot and chips with curry sauce, mushy peas and gravy (plus 24 cans of Stella).
Your favorite place for dinner?
Josephine Bouchon, Fulham Road, London.
Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain is out now (£25, Bloomsbury Absolute)
