Tom Kerridge has come under fire for offering a family Christmas dinner box for an eye-watering £195 - and it doesn't even include a turkey, roasties or veg.
The celebrity chef's Beef Wellington Christmas Box comes with two courses: Beef Wellington and full-sized pigs in blankets as the main, and sticky toffee pudding along with salted caramel fudge for dessert. The box serves four people, working out at a pricey £48.75 per person.
The box promises to "provide the ultimate Christmas indulgent meal", with the 1.2kg Wellington made of beef fillet with a black truffle duxelle and herb crepe wrapped in puff pastry, and the sticky toffee pudding served with toffee sauce and festive spiced brandy. But the box has been criticised for its eye-watering cost, particularly given that the meal still has to be cooked at home after being delivered fresh on 23 December.
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Many pointed out the lack of festive trimmings that come with the meal for the price - to add insult to injury, Tom Kerridge's recipes for roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts are included, despite the Christmas favourites themselves not being in the box. Taking to social media, some said the chef was "having a laugh" expecting customers to fork out so much for a meal during the cost of living crisis.
One person slammed the chef on Instagram, saying that the meal was "completely unaffordable to the vast majority" as they wrote: "So for £50 per person you get a slice of beef Wellington and gravy with a dessert and some pigs in blankets? What an absolute p*** take.
"Cost of living crisis and there’s nothing like giving people value for money at Xmas," they added. "Well done Tom mate. Was genuinely a fan. "
"Has he no idea what's going on in the world?" another person asked on Twitter in response to the festive box.
"£195 for a steak bake and a bit of fudge," someone else complained on social media, while another asked: "Blimey mate, does that price include a guest appearance for you to cook it?"
Another pointed out: "£195 is more than I currently pay for my electricity a month - and that's saying something!"
The description for the festive box on Tom's website reads: "For a change from the traditional turkey dinner, or for the ultimate Boxing day feast, my Beef Wellington Box is sure to provide the ultimate Christmas indulgent meal. Handmade, Organic Beef Wellington, Pigs in Blankets with a Red Wine Sauce, all you need to do is add your own roast potatoes and veg.
"Followed by delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce and Christmas Spiced Butter. Everything has been pre-prepared and par-cooked by my team of chefs at Lush by Tom Kerridge. To create the most decadent festive meal simply follow the step-by-step cooking instructions. I've also included my recipes for you to make the best roasties and Brussels sprouts."
Tom's representatives have been contacted by Reach for comment.
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