Yahoo News Tom Kerridge praises Marcus Rashford's 'wonderful heart' over school meals campaign
TV chef and Michelin-starred restaurateur Tom Kerridge has praised Marcus Rashford's 'wonderful heart' and 'connection to the community' after the pair worked together on the Full Time Meals campaign.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on the White Wine Question Time podcast, the chef said there were a lot of similarities between him and 24-year-old Rashford, whose campaigning for meals during school holidays forced a government u-turn during the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
"The reason me and Marcus teamed up is our backgrounds, [both from] single parents, you know, mum had two jobs," Kerridge says.
"We were latchkey kids. I'd come home and cook stuff for my brother when I got in. Marcus was the same, he would just go and play football.
"Our backgrounds are exactly the same. But Marcus has an incredible social reach and a wonderful heart that is really connected into the community and not for a single minute forgets where he's come from."
WATCH: Tom Kerridge on the Saturday night tea from his childhood that got him interested in food
Kerridge, who has appeared on our screens in Fresh Start, Great British Menu, and Lose Weight And Get Fit said the campaign had raised enough money to feed more than 800,000 people and that he felt giving back to people with a similar background to him was the least he could do.
He said that because Rashford earns a lot as a professional footballer he was in a position of privilege — the same as Kerridge himself — recognising that it came from "hard work craft and being able to put yourself into that space."
He added: "I recognise that where I've got to I'm very lucky. This industry has given me so much, it's given me opportunities to travel the world, meet incredible people and let's be honest, I've earned quite good money out of it."
He said that his pubs and restaurants – including the two Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers – don't necessarily make a great deal of money but that TV shows and books have helped him 'do alright in the industry'.
He added: "So when you find yourself in that position, the least you can do is give back. We work hard, we play hard, we're very honest about what we do.
Read more: Marcus Rashford leads congratulations to Big Issue vendor, 58, who passed his GCSEs
"And if you can connect to people [from] the same backgrounds that you come from, and you can make a difference.
"I think no matter who you are, if your moral compass is in the right place, you work hard, and you get to a position where you can try and give something back, you should always be doing it."
WATCH: Tom Kerridge on nostalgic foods, the importance of pubs for local communities, and the time Liam Gallagher came for Sunday lunch.
