Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge launches tasting menu for kids via Uber Eats

Celebrity Chef Tom Kerridge has launched a ‘Tiny Tasting Menu’ via Uber Eats to help frazzled parents develop their children’s taste buds and get them to try new flavours as the nation enters a second lockdown.

The five-course menu, available on a first-come first-served basis, will be available from Tom’s restaurants in London and Manchester on Tuesday 17th November.

The five-course feast was developed by Tom, whose Hand & Flowers gastropub in Marlow has two Michelin Stars, and whose partnership with Uber Eats marks a first foray into food delivery apps. The dishes, which come as a complete bundle, aim to introduce children to new tastes and challenging ingredients in a way that’s both fun and delicious, and are available for free except for a small delivery charge.*

The full menu is as follows:

Puffed Pork Rind and Gherkin Ketchup
Berkswell Blue and Truffle “Cheese Toastie”
Cured Salmon, Avruga Caviar and Spinach Tart
Pulled BBQ Beef Brisket with Smoked Mashed Potato, Salted Anchovies and Caper Butter served with Wilted Sprout Tops
Mandarin and Vanilla Trifle

Uber Eats partnered with celebrity chef Tom after a nationwide poll of 1,000 parents showed that 84% of mums and dads struggle to get their children to try new foods.

Just 24% of parents of children aged 6-14 would describe their children as adventurous eaters, and 12% even admitted their children won’t eat vegetables.

In fact, 20% of parents said their children preferred pre-packaged food over freshly made despite their best culinary efforts, while 33% admitted to cooking the same meal three times or more in one week. Despite the coronavirus meaning many families now spend more time together in the same house, some 43% of parents don’t spend one meal a day at a table with their children.

Remarkably, some 11% of children haven’t tried broccoli, and 17% have yet to sample beef. The Tiny Tasting Menu aims to introduce kids to foods they may not yet have tasted, including sprouts (49% hadn’t tasted) and gherkins (61%).

In some areas, however, children have more expansive tastes. Kids in London are twice as likely to eat blue cheese on a regular basis versus the national average, with 23% eating prawns as part of their normal diet.

Tom Kerridge said:
“I was surprised to see how few children are adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, so I wanted to create a menu that will hopefully help parents introduce them to try new flavours.

“Eating together as a family is so important, and it’s even more meaningful when the kids can feel grown up by eating the same things as mum and dad.

“While we normally think of tasting menus as being really expensive, we wanted to offer this for free so that parents with all budgets can try these delicious dishes with their children.”