Tom Kerridge says his new pub is 'like a Wetherspoons'

27-Nov-2014 - Last updated on 30-Jan-2016 at 20:22 GMT

Tom Kerridge: "Wouldn't it be great to see people queuing to get in to a British pub?"

Chef Tom Kerridge has said his new pub the Coach, which officially opens in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, on Monday is like Wetherspoons in concept.

Kerridge said: "Pubs need to be proactive about getting people through the door. Wetherspoons are a prime example of that. They are the polar end of what we are but they are exactly the same.

"They open from breakfast, offer value for money and are largely food based. They are open all day and are making the most of the footprint that they have per sq ft. So I suppose the Coach is basically a Wetherspoons but with a rotisserie and a team from the Hand and Flowers."

He added: "This is quality ingredient-led cooking but we are still trying to make it accessible throughout the day."

Menu focus

The Coach's head chef is Nick Beardshaw who was sous chef at the Hand and Flowers and has worked for Kerridge for over four years.

He is heading up a team of eight chefs at the 40-cover site.

He said: "The menu is ingredient led, modern French, British classic cooking.The same virtues as the Hand and Flowers but less complex."

A key focus of the menu is a rotisserie oven which will be cooking everything from breakfast bacon and sausages to a roast of the day.

Dishes on the menu include crispy pig's head with sweet celery and apple (6.50); smoked eel Scotch egg with watercress soubise and charred onion(7); salmon tartare with rye cracker (6) and cauliflower cheese soup with crispy ox (5).

Bearshaw's favourite dishes on the menu include the whole stuffed rotisserie roast quail (14).

Other options include chicken kiev with maple roasted butternut squash (12); steak and ale pie with suet pastry (12); fish fritter of the day with tartare sauce (9.50) and rotisserie roast of the day.

Breakfast options include a full English; haddock and poached egg and breakfast hot dog.

Drinks focus

Seven beers are on offer at the Enterprise site which Kerridge has a 10-year lease on.

Draught beers include Estrellla Damm, Kirin Ichiban and Meantime London Lager. Cask beers offer Rebellion IPA from Marlow Bottom brewery and Courage Best.

Queues

The site features a waiting area where around 10 people can have a drink.

But Kerridge believes because of the "pacy and vibrant" nature of the concept and people having small plates rather than three-course meals people will be in and out quickly.

He added: "Maybe there will be queues but wouldn't it be great to see people queuing to get in to a British pub? It would be ace."