Tom Kerridge encourages lonely pensioners who can’t afford to put their heating on at home to go to the pub to stay warm

• He referred to a viral video for a pub in Northern Ireland to highlight loneliness 

Tom Kerridge has told lonely pensioners who can’t afford to put their heating on at home to go to their local pub to stay warm.

The Michelin-starred chef said pubs are ‘so important’ for offering a community space for nearby residents, particularly during the cost of living crisis.

Kerridge – who first won acclaim for his cooking at the Hand & Flowers gastropub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire – appeared on the podcast as he opened his newest restaurant in the heart of Chelsea on Tuesday.

Speaking on Kate Thornton’s podcast White Wine Question Time, he said human interaction is ‘vitally important’ to everyday life, and that ‘pubs provide that like nowhere else’.

Praising the importance of local pubs, the chef said: ‘They are so intrinsic and so important to our society. 

Kerridge – who first won acclaim for his cooking at the Hand & Flowers gastropub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire – appeared on the podcast as he opened his newest restaurant in the heart of Chelsea on Tuesday 

Speaking on Kate Thornton’s podcast White Wine Question Time, he said human interaction is ‘vitally important’ to everyday life, and that ‘pubs provide that like nowhere else’

‘Whether they’re a posh pub in Chelsea, it will have a community feel to it, it will have the locals that eat and drink in it.

‘It’s top money for beer and it’s expensive for steaks, but it still will have a community about it.

‘But even pubs that are on little council estates where we grew up – those sort of places, are even more important because they’re hubs, they’re spaces.

‘Now, when there’s a cost of living crisis, when there are places where people can’t afford to put their heating on throughout the day.’

The pair discussed a viral advert for a pub in Northern Ireland, made to highlight loneliness.

Set to the moving music of the song People Help The People covered by Birdy, it shows an elderly man visit a grave before ending up lonely in the pub – only for a little dog to warm to him, encouraging its owners to join him for a drink. 

Kerridge said: ‘You talk about the old man in the advert. Well actually, if he’s not going to put his heating on in the day, he can go and spend that time in the pub, hanging out with locals, friendly, staying warm, conversation.

‘Human interaction is so vitally important to our everyday lives, [it’s] about feeling warm, happy and pubs provide that more than anywhere else.

READ MORE: Viewers left in tears at a heartwarming Christmas advert for a pub in Northern Ireland featuring a lonely elderly man who finally finds company

‘They’re so, so important and they are also places of fun.’

Kerridge admitted he ‘wasn’t a big Wetherspoons fan’, but is a ‘huge’ admirer of their model of opening early to provide breakfast, right through until dinner.

Speaking about his own new establishment in Chelsea, Kerridge acknowledged opening a new venue amid rising pub closures is ‘a big risk’. 

He continued: ‘It obviously has to operate and work well as a business, but at the same point, it’s got to be something that I love doing. Hospitality is great, it’s what I love doing. 

‘I’ve done it for 32 years, and this is the point where it starts getting really exciting. You’re creating something, building something, learning a neighbourhood and people. 

‘I like people. I like hanging out with people and doing stuff, and if they’re coming out into your place and having a nice time, then that’s where we want to be, so it’s a super exciting opportunity.’

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