The Coach

Tom Kerridge’s second site, the Coach, was 2016’s Highest New Entry on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list and has maintained a strong position on the Top 50 list since.

The site, a sleek, modern bistro-style pub that sits just down the road from Kerridge’s double Michelin-starred pub the Hand & Flowers in Marlow, is a force to be reckoned with and was awarded its own Michelin star in 2017, which it has held on to since.

But while Kerridge’s name may draw customers in from further afield, thanks to his celebrity chops, newly appointed head chef Sarah Hayward is ensuring the venue’s culinary credentials exceed expectations.

Hayward recently replaced Tom De Keyser as head chef of the venue, who has since replaced Jamie May as head chef of two Michelin-starred gastropub the Hand and Flowers – also Kerridge-owned – which is just up the road.

The Coach offers a range of small, tapas-style dishes, perfect for sharing (or pigging out on alone) at a reasonable price. At the centre of the operation is the pub’s glorious rotisserie.

And thanks to Kerridge’s no-reservations policy, the pub is often filled with Marlow residents enjoying a pint or watching sports. In spirit, the Coach is well and truly a local pub.

Its food rivals high-end restaurants and was awarded a Bib Gourmand for exceptional cuisine at an affordable price by the Michelin Guide in 2020.

The venue is one of the more casual Michelin-starred eateries you can visit and serves dishes that encourage diners to share with each other – something we struggle to do.

Menu highlights have included the Coach burger with pulled pork and dill pickle; salt cod Scotch egg with red pepper puree and Iberico Chorizo; and mushroom ‘risotto’ Claude Bosi.