Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has shared a chilling connection from his childhood, growing up near the home of Britain’s notorious serial killers Fred and Rose West. Although now based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, where he runs the Michelin-starred pub The Hand and Flowers, Kerridge often returns to Gloucestershire, where he and his family lived during his youth.
On the Red Talks podcast, Kerridge opened up about the unsettling reality of walking past 25 Cromwell Street almost daily—a property later infamously dubbed the “house of horrors” after the brutal crimes committed there. Fred West, along with his wife Rose, was responsible for the murders of several young women between the 1960s and 1980s.
Kerridge recounted how his father was a lecturer at the art college adjacent to Cromwell Street, further anchoring their family life in the same neighborhood. “Me and my brother used to walk past his house every single day,” he said. Interestingly, Kerridge’s brother attended the same school as Fred West’s son, adding another layer to their eerie proximity.
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Reflecting on the past, Kerridge shared his brother’s impression of Fred West: “He always thought he was weird.” Fred West took his own life in prison in 1995, before trial, while Rose West was convicted of ten murders and remains incarcerated.
Aside from these grim reflections, Kerridge also discussed his career and public life, noting how fame has been a strange yet inevitable part of his journey. His Marlow pub was the first in the UK to earn two Michelin stars, catapulting him to culinary fame, along with television appearances such as Great British Menu.
Despite his success, Kerridge admits he prefers privacy over celebrity status: “I’m not into fame, I find it a bit weird… I like being in my own space, in my own pubs. It’s odd when people know who you are walking around.”