Book review: Pub Kitchen by Tom Kerridge

Tom Kerridge's latest cookbook celebrates proper pub grub once more, with reliable favourites and updated ideas

Conjure up the perfect pub in your mind.

A comfy armchair by a roaring fire? A pint from the generous selection on tap in hand? And surely a bite of something delicious on the table in front of you? At your favourite local, time stands still and there’s no judgement, says chef Tom Kerridge, if you order whatever you feel like eating, at any time of day – from a bowl of soup to a three-course meal.

And he would know. Kerridge’s two pubs in Marlow – the Hand & Flowers and the Coach – have three Michelin stars between them, not forgetting the Butchers Tap down the road, which he took over in 2017.

His first cookbook, Proper Pub Food, was a celebration of the humble British boozer, and 10 years on his latest book continues to salute proper pub grub. Mini sausage rolls with nduja sit happily next to Cajun fish burgers, a beef cheek ragu and pork steaks with romesco sauce. Meanwhile, an entire chapter dedicated to pies is clearly where Kerridge’s heart lies, with reliable favourites including steak and ale and chicken and mushroom, as well as an Indian-spiced twist on a traditional lamb shoulder.

Every pub should have a sticky toffee pudding on its menu – no arguments – and Kerridge’s recipe for an indulgent date and banana pudding layers thin slices of overlapping banana on top of an indulgent sponge infused with a generous tot of dark rum.

The chef also offers his take on the traditional apple crumble, chocolate and raspberry brownie, and jam pudding, but it’s the chocolate madeleine and cherry sundaes, cappuccino fondants, or plum and blackberry galettes, where things really start to get interesting. Even at the best of pubs, sometimes the pudding menu can be slightly lacklustre, but a milk chocolate mousse with shards of sweet and salty peanut brittle, or a delicate millefeuille with its pops of bright pink raspberries and sunshine yellow custard will surely put a smile on a diners’ face at the end of a comforting meal.

Pub Kitchen: The Ultimate Modern British Food Bible by Tom Kerridge (Bloomsbury, £27)