Marcus Wareing shares ‘nostalgic’ memories of school dinners and chippy tea (Image: Plimsoll Productions)
The celebrity chef recently stepped away from the culinary frontline after 35 years in the industry, marked by the closure of his restaurant at the Berkley Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, on December 26 last year. Marcus Wareing’s impressive career has seen him take on many roles outside of being a restaurateur.
One of his most famous TV ventures began in 2014 as a judge on Masterchef: The Professionals. Lately, the Michelin-starred restaurateur delved into life “from field to fork” in his BBC documentary series, Marcus Wareing’s Tales from a Kitchen Garden (2022).
Set on his smallholding in East Sussex, the culinary icon from Southport documented the development of his kitchen garden while teaming up with British producers, farmers, and gardeners who inspired him along the way.
Other BBC shows, including Marcus in the Med which aired this year, and Simply Provence (2023), showcase the best of French and Mediterranean cuisine. The 54-year-old’s latest projects mark the start of a new chapter after the chef admitted that he “wanted a change in life to do different things”.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the father-of-three reminisced about British classics after stepping back from the brutal pressures of the high-profile restaurant industry. Highlighting his commitment to simplicity in the kitchen, Marcus divulged his honest thoughts on fish and chips and what can be learnt from our European neighbours when it comes to school dinners.
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Marcus Wareing met his wife Jane met Jane while working at Gravetye Manor, where he was second chef (Image: Getty)
Reflecting on the beloved “chippy tea”, Marcus revealed: “I remember, you know, fish and chips for me were soggy chips, simple fish delicious with that malt vinegar on top and mushy peas, back home.”
Some 20 years ago the chef would have agreed that fish and chips “were fantastic value”, but rising costs are increasingly pricing out customers. According to the latest industry report from the KFE Fish & Chips Survey 2024, The average price for a “regular” portion of fish and chips across the UK stands at £10.88.
Fish and chip shop owners are saying the same, as they watch their margins shrink with a bag of potatoes now at its highest price point for nearly 50 years. Marcus explained that while he had “a huge amount of satisfaction eating them” in the past, a chippy tea is not something he indulges in now as an advocate for homegrown and whole foods.
That said, the celebrity chef praised the translation of the simple dish in restaurant dining. He said: “You can go into fine dining restaurants like I remember going to the Caprice and the Ivy in 2013, about 20-odd years ago. And you had fish and chips from the menu; they were done to a high level, beautiful!”
Marcus, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace all judged on the hit BBC show, Masterchef (Image: Getty)
Marcus added: “So, I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks about fish and chips, it’s a staple diet in this country, it’s something that we do very well because of our seasons. It’s sort of become part of our culture.”
As for school dinners, another pillar of old-school British cuisine, the cookbook author and TV personality suggested that there’s something to be said for the state of them in the UK. Speaking about an experience in France while filming the BBC series Simply Provence, Marcus expressed his shock at the difference in school dinner offerings.
While visiting a school in the south of France, the British chef helped to cook the students a three-course meal for lunch, noting that “the content” of the meals was outstanding. He elaborated that it wasn’t just the quantity of food that surprised him but that it was “beautifully done with a lot of community involved, including the farming community”.
Pointing out the fascinating addition of lobster bisque in the incredibly nutritious meal, Marcus suggested that the real lesson for UK schools is using by-products of ingredients to nourish children on a budget. He explained: “It’s not the central government telling them [the school in France] what to do. It’s the community working with the school.”
He continued: “For a French kitchen, bisque is no different to making it into a soup. It’s not that they go and buy lobster. It’s just a byproduct of lobster. A lesson to be learned for us here cooking in England. It’s as simple as some fish, some fish from the leaps of the sea to a kitchen.”
Marcus’s own experience with school dinners is representative of many Britons who grew up in the 1980s. He gave a damning description of his Merseyside school meals, likening the food offering to that of “a prison”.
He told Express.co.uk: “We had a canteen where they did chips, pink custard and buns. I used to be given £2.50 every week by my mum – we had to pay for our lunch and she’d give me five 50 pence pieces.” But the savvy chef, who earned his first Michelin star at the age of just 26, revealed that he “never ever spent any of that money on lunch, ever”.
The 54-year-old said: “I just used to put it into my bills, my post office account, and I never had lunch. It [the canteen] always consisted of chips and big burgers – appalling, appalling. And even I could see that then, I’d just go home and have something to eat. I tell you what, I did make a lot of money over the years.”
Marcus Wareing is an ambassador for P&G Professional – the maker of Fairy, Flash and Ariel Professional. P&G Professional has launched Fairy Professional Platinum Washing Up Liquid and Platinum Plus Dishwashing Capsules aimed at hospitality professionals working in a commercial kitchen.
