As the opening of his latest eatery approaches, Tom Kerridge has promised a ‘flexible eating and drinking environment' for everyone.

Just down the road from his first gastropub, The Hand and Flowers, The Coach, in West Street, is due to open on December 1.

The two Michelin starred chef and his wife Beth have transformed the 19th century, Grade II listed pub into an open plan bar, with the kitchen being the focal point so diners can watch the chefs work.

As the final preparations get underway, Tom has given an update on how the work is coming along.

“It’s looking amazing. Everyone who has been involved with getting this up and running has been fantastic. They have completely bought into how much we love this place. All the staff and especially the electricians and the kitchen fitters, everyone involved has made such a huge effort. It already feels like it’s going to be a great place.”

Nick Beardshaw, senior sous chef at the Hand and Flowers for four years, will now be taking the reins in the kitchen at The Coach as Head Chef.

He said: “It’s extremely exciting to be involved in this. We’re very conscious of what the food tastes like and we really want to get this right so we’ve all been working really hard.”

The menu will feature 25 to 30 British and French-inspired dishes, but Tom said: “You can come in and have one dish or you can have four. If it’s 2.30 in the afternoon and you’ve got 20 minutes to spare, just pop in and have some food or a drink.

“[The Coach] is going to be a flexible eating and drinking environment, open from 8 in the morning. It will be the kind of place you can just come in and have a slice of cake and a coffee if you’re in the area.”

“There will always be food available, whatever time you come in here. Even if the kitchen has finished serving the hot menu, there will always be a slice of pork pie or some cake available.”

The gourmet dishes, with a not-so gourmet price of between £6 and £12, include crispy pigs head and spiced cod with cumin and were all chosen by the chefs themselves.

Tom said: “We never follow fashion. The food we have is just food we all love to eat ourselves. We all sat down and said, what food do we like to eat? It’s food we all enjoy, it’s not just what is fashionable. We only follow good cooking.”

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Despite huge demand from all over the country, Tom was eager to keep his latest venture in the town he loves so much.

“We have been offered loads and loads of potential venues over the years, at a rate of one every two weeks as the Hand and Flowers has grown in reputation. It’s phenomenal, but somehow all of the venues we’ve been offered have never been right for us. We weren’t necessarily looking for another site, but Marlow is the perfect place for us.

While the new low-cost, all-day dining experience will still welcome everyone, Tom is devoted to providing a local eatery for local people - in fact, the new restaurant will not even operate a booking system, allowing customers to just walk in.

“The demand for the Hand and Flowers is incredible. There can be up to a year waiting list for a table, which makes it really hard for local people to get in. We have people come from all over the world to eat at The Hand. The Coach is going to be something for the locals, for the people of Marlow and the surrounding area.”

“Marlow is a wonderful area; it’s an amazing town to be a part of. The residents have been so supportive of us, since the day we opened The Hand and Flowers. They really have been incredible.”

Tom also hopes his new eatery will inject a new lease of life to the pub trade, with something a little different.

He said: “In Marlow, there’s a very good pub trade because it’s a great place to be, it’s a phenomenal town, but I think the pub trade in general is having a hard time. People just don’t drink in them as much anymore.

“The way it was used as a social hub is very different now. These days, you can guarantee that a pizza restaurant will be really busy, but a pub won’t. Pubs need to be able to compete with that and that’s what we hope The Coach will do.

“Ultimately, this is a food led pub because of who we are, but everyone is welcome, even if it’s just for a drink. You’ll have a hard time resisting the smells coming from the kitchen though!”