Tom Kerridge warns young cooks
- Tom Kerridge told the Guardian that young cooks are being pulled toward “social media chef” fame instead of formal kitchen training, as British hospitality struggles to recruit apprentices and future fine-dining talent. - The warning landed as chef competitions stayed active: the Roux Scholarship named 28-year-old Harrison Brockington its 2026 winner, and S.Pellegrino’s Young Chef Academy opened applications for chefs under 30. - Kerridge’s comments add to wider anxiety over staffing and training in British restaurants, where competitions and colleges still act as key routes into elite kitchens. (theguardian.com)
Tom Kerridge said young cooks are chasing life as a “social media chef” instead of taking the older route through catering college, apprenticeships and kitchen competitions. (theguardian.com) The warning appeared in a Guardian report published on April 25, 2026, as British chefs described a hiring market where traditional cookery courses and apprenticeships are struggling to attract entrants. (theguardian.com) Will Murray, the Fallow co-founder quoted in the same report, said cooking videos can make professional work look easier than it is and leave newcomers unprepared for the pressure of a real kitchen. (theguardian.com) Kerridge’s intervention carries weight because he runs The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, which the Michelin Guide lists as a two-star restaurant in its 2026 guide. His own site says it is the only pub in the United Kingdom with two Michelin stars. (guide.michelin.com) (tomkerridge.com) The dispute is not over whether social media can spark interest in food. It is over whether short-form videos are starting to displace the slower training routes that restaurants use to teach technique, pace and service discipline. (theguardian.com) The old routes are still operating. S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy says applications for its 2026-27 competition are open, with the program aimed at chefs aged 18 to 30. (sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com) (sanpellegrino.com) The Roux Scholarship also named a winner this month: Harrison Brockington, 28, head chef and owner of Gather in Totnes, Devon, became the 42nd Roux Scholar after the final on April 13. (rouxscholarship.co.uk) (instituteofhospitality.org) In the Guardian report, Murray said competitions expose young chefs to pressure and high standards in a way that social platforms cannot replicate. That is the model Kerridge and other senior chefs are trying to defend. (theguardian.com) The immediate question is whether enough young cooks will still choose the long apprenticeship path while restaurant owners are already competing for staff. Kerridge’s answer was blunt: online visibility is not the same thing as kitchen training. (theguardian.com)
