Billed as a sister pub to Kerridge’s Marlow flagship The Hand and Flowers - which holds two Michelin stars - The Chalk Freehouse will ‘commemorate the beauty of traditional British gastropub dining’ when it launches mid next month.
Late last week, The Tom Kerridge Group announced that The Butcher’s Tap & Grill - which occupies a prominent site on Tryon Street just off Chelsea’s King’s Road - was closing after just two years’ trading because the increasing costs of running the pub had not been matched by a rise in revenue and turnover.
The statement made it clear that something else was in the works saying that the future of team members working at the pub is ‘secure, in place for what’s next’.
The Chalk Freehouse’s name references the area’s maritime heritage, where chalk and limestone were once unloaded (the word Chelsea is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Caelichyth, meaning ‘chalk wharf’).
The new pub will offer a three-course menu at both lunch and dinner made up of ‘refined, yet humble’ dishes.
Snacks will range from £5.50 to £16, starters will range from £9 to £19.50 and mains will cost between £21 and £31.50.
Options will include spiced chicken thighs with tarragon and caper mayonnaise; crushed Jersey Royal potato salad with brown crab aioli; pork chop schnitzel with smoked bacon cabbage and a fried duck egg; and roasted ray wing with crispy cockles and anchovy and garlic dressing.
Leading front-of-house at The Chalk is Lourdes Dooley, general manager of all three of Kerridge’s Marlow venues - The Hand and Flowers, The Coach, and The Butcher’s Tap and Grill.
The wine list has been put together by Gavin Hills, also from The Hand and Flowers, and will offer a ‘remarkable selection that blends Old World tradition with the bold innovation of New World regions’.
The site will undergo a light refurbishment ‘in keeping with the new feel’.
Guests can enjoy drinks and snacks at the custom-built hardwood bar or relax in the garden area, while the 60-cover dining room - including a 10-seater private room - offers a more formal dining experience.
De Keyser will be succeeded at The Hand and Flowers by Sarah Hayward, crowned Michelin Young Chef of the Year in 2023, who will move from Kerridge’s The Coach where she is currently head chef.
“I’m so excited to be taking on the next stage of my career within the Tom Kerridge Group and opening a new site,” De Keyser says.
“Tom has taught me so much about proper gastropub dining and what it is to create truly brilliant food within the context of a pub menu - I can’t wait to bring everything I’ve learned to Chelsea for The Chalk’s opening. I’m ever grateful for Tom’s continued guidance and know that together, with the support of a great team including colleagues like Lourdes and Gavin, we’ll open something great in West London.”
Tom Kerridge added: “Ever since I met Tom DK 13 years ago I knew he’d go far within our Group. He’s brought so much to both The Coach and The Hand and Flowers over the years and I have full confidence that he’ll do the same with The Chalk. He’s worked really hard on this new concept creating some absolutely standout dishes, and I know with the help of our incredibly loyal team he’ll do brilliantly in bringing it to life. It’s great to see Tom opening his first standalone site – it’s a true celebration of all the hard work and dedication he’s put into his career so far. I can’t wait for the doors to open.”
The Chalk Freehouse will open on 16 June, welcoming both bookings and walk-ins.