Tom Kerridge’s fish and chip shop has come under fire after a disappointed customer said he found his food was “leaking” water.
Food content creator James Dimitri, from London, visited Kerridge’s Fish and Chips, inside luxury department store Harrods in London, where a portion of Cornish shish kebab with chips can set diners back a whopping £52, while lobster can cost up to £80.
James shared his experience in TikTok as part of his series of “tourist trap” reviews and claimed that a trip to the restaurant was not worth it, saying the fish was “leaking water all over the plate.”
Despite the venue being run by a celebrity TV chef, James struggled to swallow the cost of his meal, which, after a portion of fish and chips, a roll and two beers, came to £70.
The video caused a stir on the internet and garnered more than a million views in less than a week since it was posted. One viewer said: “As much as I like Tom Kerridge, he won’t be seeing me anywhere near him.”
MailOnline has contacted Tom Kerridge’s representatives for comment.
Food content creator James Dimitri (pictured) from London tried Kerridge’s Fish and Chips at Harrods, London
The restaurant’s menu includes the £37 “market day fish”, “caught from day boats in Cornwall”, “covered in Kerridge gluten-free batter and served with chips, Matson curry sauce, tartare sauce and pea pudding”.
James said: ‘Northerners, look away. Hell, Londoners, look away too. I went to Harrods to try Tom Kerridge’s fish and chips for £37.’
To start the meal, James ordered a beer, saying: “First of all, even the cheapest beer was £9.50.”
He continued: ‘Here’s the fish and chips, it comes with a total of nine whole chips, plus curry sauce, pea puree and tartare.
‘The batter was nice and crispy, and the fish looked fresh, but it was small and leaked a lot of water all over the plate. It was leaking water non-stop.
‘The chips were good, but not top-notch. I also paid £6 for a bun to make a chip sandwich. It was pretty good, but probably cost me a tenner after adding two chips.’
The food content creator concluded: “Was it worth it? No. It has a 3.3 on Google for a good reason.”
She added in the caption: “The tourist trap reviews are back babe. Went to Kerridge’s Fish & Chips from @cheftomkerridge in @harrods. Fish & chips with a roll and two beers was £70.”
James paid a total of £70 for a portion of fish and chips (pictured), a roll and two beers.
Viewers flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts on the video. One said: “£37, (I) was hoping to be taken on a boat to see how they catch fish for that price.”
A second said: “Go to Whitby and buy some real ones, they’re about £8.50. You’re welcome.”
“There’s too much sauce for the amount of chips there are. You need at least three times as many chips,” said another.
A fourth added: “I don’t understand how these fancy restaurants charge a fortune and give you nine fries… I think people think it tastes better when it costs more.”
A fifth person said: “It’s outrageous. I couldn’t bring myself to pay that amount of money for fish and chips. I’m a northern girl.”
The food content creator was disappointed to discover that his meal only included nine fries (pictured)
Once considered a humble meal for Britons, new figures have shown the alarming rise in prices for one of the country’s favourite takeaway options.
Whether you enjoy it wrapped in newspaper overlooking the sea on a sunny summer afternoon or at home on a cold winter’s night, the average price of a tea and chips has soared to more than £10, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS said the estimated average price for a takeaway portion of fish and chips was £9.88 in July this year, up 52 per cent from £6.48 in July 2019.
This means the cost of a fish dinner has risen in percentage terms more than other options preferred by Britons, including a takeaway pizza, alongside an Indian or Chinese main dish.
The cost of a kebab – the go-to option for many people to enjoy a nice drink – rose by 44 per cent, from £5.24 to £7.57.
Fans of fried chicken and chips will now have to fork out an average of 42 per cent more for a meal as prices over the past five years have soared from £4.73 to £6.70.
Viewers took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the video and many were shocked.
Meanwhile, the average cost of a pizza has risen to over £10, now costing customers £10.08 compared to £8.06 in 2019.
On the other hand, main dishes at Indian and Chinese restaurants increased by 29 percent.
While the cost of living crisis has led to a rise in food prices across the UK, British chip producers have been particularly affected by extreme weather conditions affecting the quality of potato crops.
Most supermarkets have already reduced the size of packets of potatoes from 2.5kg to 2kg without any reduction in price. The net effect is a hidden increase in cost to consumers of around 25 per cent per kilo.
Last year, several retailers restricted purchases of fresh produce, including tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, after extreme weather hit growers in Europe.
Shops will try to prevent a repeat of this by importing more UK vegetables, which in turn will push up prices.
As well as being the most expensive takeaway item over a five-year period, the cost of fish and chips has also been huge in the short term.
Figures tracking the cost of food from March 2022 to March 2023 show it shot up 19 percent.
Data for the same period showed an average increase of 13 percent in the price of fast food and takeaway services.
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