Great British Menu is venturing to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester and the Lake District this week to test the mettle of Britain’s chefs.
Three culinary talents from the north west of England will be competing for the chance to create a dish for a prestigious banquet.
They will, however, be put through their paces by a born and bred Londoner – acclaimed chef Tom Aikens will be the guest judge in the kitchen this week.
So who is the British culinary star, and where can you try his food in London? From Michelin stars to running marathons, here’s what you need to know about Tom Aikens.
Who is Tom Aikens?
Tom Aikens is a London-born chef who is the founder of the Tom’s Kitchen restaurants. Aikens was introduced to the food world early in life: his father and grandfather worked in the wine business, his mother was a keen grower of fruit and veg, and the family would make regular trips to the south of France.
Following stints at prestigious restaurants in both the UK and Paris – including David Cavalier’s, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire – Aikens became head chef at Pied à Terre in London in 1996. Here he maintained the restaurant's two Michelin stars and became the youngest chef ever to do so at just 26 years old. He left the restaurant in late 1999, following – but reportedly not connected to – an incident in which he allegedly branded a 19-year-old trainee chef with a hot knife. In 2003, Aikens went on to launch his own solo restaurant in Chelsea, Tom Aikens, which earned a Michelin star before closing in 2014.
His career has not been without controversy. In addition to the alleged hot knife incident at Pied à Terre, Aikens went bust in 2008, leaving 160 suppliers almost £1 million out of pocket. Individual unpaid debts, to mostly small family businesses, included figures of up to £83,000. In the aftermath of the business collapse, Aikens told the Standard he felt "like a complete sh**bag".
As well as his Tom’s Kitchen restaurants in the UK, Aikens also launched Pots, Pans & Boards in Dubai in 2015, and three restaurants at the Abu Dhabi Edition hotel in 2018.
Why is Tom Aikens on Great British Menu?
Tom Aikens, a Great British Menu regular, will return to the show this week to judge dishes presented by three chefs from the north west of England. Liam Simpson-Trotman, Adam Reid and Hrishikesh Desai will serve dishes to Tom Aikens, who will score them and decide which two will go through to the judging panel. Those chefs will then be in with a chance to cook for a prestigious banquet celebrating the history of British pop music.
Where is Tom’s Kitchen in London and the UK?
London is home to two locations of Tom’s Kitchen, one in Chelsea (27 Cale Street, SW3 3QP) and one in Canary Wharf (11 Westferry Circus, E14 4HD). The brand also has a third in The Mailbox in Birmingham city centre (Wharfside Street, B1 1RE).
His restaurants may be hundreds of miles apart, but Aikens is used to running around the country: he has run several London Marathons and once ran six marathons in five days across the Sahara desert to raise money for charity.
What’s on the Tom’s Kitchen menu?
Tom’s Kitchen is a casual dining concept that cooks up classic British dishes with a sophisticated edge. At all the restaurants, ingredients are key – seasonal produce leads the menus, and Aikens champions UK-based, ethical suppliers.
The restaurants do, however, differ slightly in their menus. The Canary Wharf and Birmingham restaurants major in comfort food: hearty dishes here include the likes of venison loin with salt-baked celeriac and savoy cabbage, beer battered fish and chips, and a truffled mac and cheese.
Following a relaunch in 2018, the Chelsea restaurant focuses more on British sharing plates: charred squid is served with rocket and watercress salsa verde, cured duck breast is served with charred celeriac and hazelnuts, and a chateaubriand comes with an onion tart and Béarnaise sauce.
