Tom Aikens

Muse

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Tom Aikens is one of the UK’s most acclaimed and inspirational British chefs.

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Growing up in Norfolk, with a father working in the wine industry and a childhood spent gardening and cooking with his mother, Tom learnt how to make use of the freshest ingredients, putting food at the centre of his life from a very early age. 

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Tom enrolled at the Norwich City College Hotel School, completing an Advanced Catering Diploma in 1989 and began his career at 1 Michelin-starred Cavalier’s in Battersea, London. He then moved onto The Capital Hotel working under 1 Michelin-starred Philip Britten, followed by a chef-de-partie position with Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire at a time when the restaurant was awarded its third Michelin star, then 2 star Pied-à-Terre.

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Tom went onto work for 3 star Joel Robuchon in Paris for 1 year, then 3 star Gérard Boyer in Reims and to name a few, he was asked to return back to London to take over Pied at Terre as acting head chef.

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It was in Pied-à-Terre that Tom became the youngest British chef ever to be awarded two Michelin stars, aged just 26. Tom currently holds a Michelin star at his flagship restaurant, Muse in London.  

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In 2006 Tom published his first book Cooking which included 200 mouth-watering recipes, graded according to difficulty. Tom published Easy in 2011which focusses on simple, homely style cooking and his book Fish a voyage of discovery of fish recipes came out in 2012. Most recently Tom published 5 Minute Feasts Charity Cookbook for the Only A Pavement Away charity which works to help homeless, ex-offenders and vulnerable veterans find careers within the hospitality industry - a charity that Tom is a leading campaigner for. 

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Part of The Great British Menu family on BBC 2, Tom returns each year as a judge, reached the final banquet in 2013 in aid of Comic Relief and competed in the 2020 Christmas special edition for the NHS. Tom regularly appears on shows such as the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice as well as Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4.  

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Tom also won Channel 4’s Snack Masters KFC episode and was hailed the closest person to have ever cracked KFC’s top-secret recipe! 

 

Tom lives in London with his wife and two daughters.