03 Aug 2024
It’s hot, very hot, in the upstairs bar at The Hub on Verulam Road, although probably nowhere near the same level as some of the infernal kitchens celebrity chef Tom Kerridge will have worked.
The man behind the two Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers, as well as various other acclaimed eateries, is hosting a preview evening for this year’s Pub in the Park St Albans, the food and music festival which first came to Verulamium Park back in 2019.
It is now one of only four venues holding the event in 2024, with the previous regional touring format replaced by festivals in Marlow, Chiswick, Reigate and our own St Albans, this year boasting a line-up which includes Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Tinie Tempah and Scouting for Girls.
Tom is a big fan of our city and district, which is why he was keen to bring PitP here: “St Albans has always been mega. This is the fifth time we’ve been here, we’ve been coming since the second year of doing Pub in the Park, and St Albans has always been a go-to location.
“It was a case of looking for places that have the same sort of food-led demographic as Marlow [where PitP started and Tom’s hometown].
“We pick towns with lovely restaurants to support, that have mainstream restaurants where people go and eat out, but also small local independent spaces. It’s like Marlow in that it has that same kind of foodie following.
“Pub in the Park is supposed to be the best beer garden in the world, so you know we have music and we have booze which is great, but it is also is chef and food led, so we needed to find amazing spaces aren’t the centre of London or Birmingham.
“We could see something quite exciting and fun was happening right in the middle of this community. I imagine a lot of people know each other in St Albans, but it’s big enough to be on the map.
“There’s a buzz and an excitement in St Albans that we can feel three or four weeks before Pub in the Park is even here. What tickets have you got? When are you going? So it feels that we’re not just something that drops in and then disappears again, that we’re trying to help St Albans be involved in it as well. It’s a really nice kind of marriage.”
One of the stalwarts of the St Albans event is local chef Phil Thompson, an old friend of Tom’s, and owner of THOMPSON St Albans in Hatfield Road: “It makes it easier that Phil’s there from our point of view, but I also think it’s great for Phil, and we love doing it with him because it gives Phil a bit of promotion. I’ve known Phil for a long, long time and he’s such a lovely human.”
One of the new additions to this year’s festival is the opportunity for winners of a Battle of the Bands taking place at St Albans’ Pioneer Club to play on the main stage.
“We did the same in Marlow as well and it was brilliant. It gets people excited and that’s great and then it gives a bunch of teenagers the chance to perform at the festival, and you never know who might be watching them, it could be just the right opportunity for them.”
Taking place over the weekend of September 6-8, Pub in the Park St Albans is the last of the year’s events, rounding off the summer in style.
“It is incredibly successful just in terms of support but St Albans is always the last one of the run and feels like this amazing finale, it’s a brilliant one to finish with because people really get involved. They party, they have fun, they drink loads, they eat loads and from the moment they come through the doors on the Friday evening they just start getting involved straight away, some places it takes a while for people to wake up, but here you just get on it.
“Let’s have a party, let’s enjoy ourselves, let’s go and eat loads, let’s have a couple of drinks, let’s meet our friends, and it suddenly becomes this really exciting and brilliant weekend.”
With a whole host of musicians having graced the St Albans stage over the years, from the Kaiser Chiefs and Will Young to Razorlight and All Saints, does he have a favourite?
“Mel C is brilliant [she came here in 2022]. Not only does she have such great energy out front, but behind the scenes she is the ultimate professional and so kind and so nice to everybody. When she goes off stage, she will take the time to talk to people who have wanted to meet her, she doesn’t just do a group hello, she may spend another two hours after her 45-minute set talking to fans. She’s this amazing superstar, and being in her presence you can tell you’re with somebody who is just the consummate ultimate pro.
“I love the fact that we’ve got Olly Murs doing St Albans as an exclusive. I’d love to twist his arm and see if he can come and do Marlow next year, but St Albans have got him first which is great, and he’s such a personable and lovely chap.”
Despite his obvious enthusiasm for the musicians appearing at his festivals, Tom assures me that he remains grounded: “I love music and I love musicians and I love being a part of it, but I’m not normally starstruck; you realise that they’re normal people, they’ve got the same hang-ups as us, they’re probably a little bit shy, and being the stage is actually their comfy space.
“At the end of the day I’m just a normal bloke. I’ve been a chef for 32 years, and there hasn’t been a purposeful drive to be famous, it’s just something that’s happened. If your world is hospitality, the restaurant is about saying hello to people and making sure they feel welcome.”
Alongside a top line-up of musicians, this year’s event also features St Albans’ own restaurant heroes Dylans at the Kings Arms alongside the likes of The Hand & Flowers, Café Murano, Ginger Wings and Hang Fire Smokehouse, plus celebrity chefs like Matt Tebbutt, Simon Rimmer, Candice Brown and Atul Kochhar.
Find out more about the 2024 festival at https://www.pubintheparkuk.com/st-albans
