The four-course, 100-cover lunch will be the first collaboration in The Hand & Flowers’ 11 year history, and will be “one of the highlights” of Kerridge’s career, the chef has said today.
The £80 per person menu will include English parsley soup with smoked eel and garlic, treacle cured beef fillet with a choux farci and Yorkshire pudding, Ducasse’s own langoustine with summer vegetables fish course, and Eton mess for dessert.
Overall, the lunch will seek to bring classic French cooking to British-style dishes. Both Kerridge and Ducasse will be present on the day, working alongside a mixture of staff from the pub and Ducasse’s own teams, including staff from front of house.
Kerridge and iconic French-style chef Ducasse first met at the GQ Food and Drink Awards, which Kerridge explained prompted the idea of a one-off collaboration.
He told BigHospitality: “Although from the outside it feels like we run different businesses, we both share the same heart, soul and desire for produce and customer satisfaction. I think the synergy will work very well.
“Myself and the whole team feel hugely honoured that such a great chef would like to spend a day with us. We have been excited about this event for over a year now, and [it] will most definitely be one of the highlights of mine and my team’s careers. And I think from Mr Ducasse’s point of view, it’s just an excuse to get to the pub on a Sunday.”
Kerridge added that he would love to work with Ducasse again in future if the opportunity arose.
Kerridge has two Michelin stars for The Hand & Flowers, and also operates The Coach in Marlow; while Ducasse holds three stars for his flagship UK site Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, in London’s Park Lane. Ducasse currently operates 27 restaurants worldwide, and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2013.