TV chef Tom Kerridge reveals 'colossal' boozing may have helped him to succeed in the kitchen

TV chef Tom Kerridge reveals ‘colossal’ boozing may have helped him to succeed in the kitchen

Recalling his heavy drinking, he said he did not regret it as it helped his success
Tom Kerridge cited his two Michellin stars as evidence his habits helped him
Five years ago, he began to have sleepless nights about being without alcohol

By Chris Hastings for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 23:15 GMT, 1 December 2018 | Updated: 01:26 GMT, 2 December 2018

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge believes his ‘colossal’ boozing helped him to success in the kitchen and on TV.

Recalling years of heavy drinking, he tells Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs today: ‘I don’t regret that period at all. Alcohol became a huge release for driving the business forward, to winning two Michelin stars…

‘It always proved this massive release of energy, of pressure.’

Pressure: Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge in his drinking days

The 45-year-old, whose TV credits include MasterChef and The Great British Menu and whose Bucks gastropub The Hand & Flowers gained its second Michelin star in 2012, admits drinking with the intention of getting ‘smashed’.

But five years ago, he began to have sleepless nights about being without alcohol.

He quit drinking and shed 12st through diet and exercise.

He adds: ‘I probably am dependent on alcohol.

‘I can’t touch it. I am untrustworthy with it.

‘I would like to think that maybe one day I would be able to enjoy a glass of red wine with the roast beef that I love so much.

‘But at this moment in time, there is no way that is allowed in my life.’