Express & Star

Top TV chef Tom Kerridge taking over Shropshire wedding venue

One of Britain’s biggest celebrity chefs is taking over a Shropshire wedding venue.

Published
Davenport House, main, and inset, Tom Kerridge

Lush by Tom Kerridge, the catering and events company from the team behind Michelin starred The Hand & Flowers and The Coach, is now working with Shropshire-based Davenport House.

Lush by Tom Kerridge is inspired by Tom’s first pub in Marlow, The Hand & Flowers.

Tom and his Executive Chef Kieran Reilly aim to bring “the sense of occasion found at The Hand & Flowers along with memorable food to the events held at Davenport House”.

With original, period features, Davenport House is a family home steeped in history.

The building is a magnificent Grade I-listed Georgian house in the Shropshire countryside and has been offering weddings and events since 2017.

Events can either take place outside with the extensive grounds as a backdrop or in The Great Hall, which boasts high ceilings and period décor with a modern colour scheme.

Davenport House

Joe and Lizzie also encourage guests to use the house to its fullest by offering accommodation for up to 32 guests upstairs, in the building itself, as well as in a handful of cottages dotted around the grounds.

Mr Kerridge: “We are delighted to have achieved this partnership with Lizzie and Joe at Davenport and aim to bring the quality of standards at The Hand & Flowers, as well as the philosophy behind them to every catered event and occasion. We have taken the time to design a selection of menus suitable for different styles of events and hope that within it, there will be something for everyone.”

The menus aim to showcase brilliant British produce, drawing inspiration from The Hand & Flowers and The Coach.

A key part of this, Mr Kerridge said, was using the same suppliers as in the Marlow pubs.

Mr Kerridge’s first catering job was a stint as commis chef at Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire.

He also worked for Stephen Bull and Gary Rhodes before joining Odette’s in Primrose Hill. After a spell at Monsieur Max in Hampton he moved to Norwich to take over running the Michelin starred restaurant, Adlards.