The exact casserole dish Tom Kerridge uses is only £30 - here's why it's stolen a spot in our kitchen too

M&S Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Shallow Black Casserole Dish: £30 at Marks and Spencer UK

This pot is available in blue and black from the M&S site, with the option to have it delivered either next day or under standard delivery. M&S also offer store collection for free.

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The M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish just makes sense. On one side, you have Tom Kerridge, a chef with three Michelin stars, a string of acclaimed pubs and restaurants, bestselling cookbooks, and years of television experience. On the other, you have M&S, a brand that has built its reputation on dependable quality and thoughtful design. Together, they’ve created a piece of cookware that is both accessible and aspirational. If you can't tell, I love it.

In a market crowded with some of the best cast iron casserole dishes, it takes something special to stand out. The new M&S Tom Kerridge collection does exactly that, pairing chef-led functionality with high street affordability. And within the broader M&S new homeware collection, this piece is a favourite of mine (and many others).

Just a glance at the dish showcases its classic style, but there's so much more to it. The Tom Kerridge collection has integrated stackable cast iron which has this casserole dish as the centrepiece. It's currently used in Tom Kerridge’s London pubs, in his very own kitchen, and now it's in mine too.

M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish review

Who would the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish suit?

When I first heard about this range, I braced myself for a price tag that might require a deep breath. Cast iron, particularly chef-endorsed cast iron ,has a reputation for stretching budgets. And yet, at £30, this casserole dish sits at a price point that that's comparable with entry-level options from supermarkets, even though it doesn’t feel entry-level in the slightest.

This would suit the home cook who wants the romance of French cookware without the financial commitment. If you’ve ever stood in front of a rainbow wall of Le Creuset wondering, “is Le Creuset worth it?” this is for you. It offers the reassuring weight (approximately 3–4kg depending on size), wide looped handles that comfortably accommodate oven gloves, and a snug dimpled lid designed for self-basting moisture circulation.

It’s perfect for families who batch cook on Sundays, for anyone experimenting with sourdough, or for someone building their first “grown-up” kitchen. It's premium enough to leave on display, sturdy enough for everyday use, and forgiving enough for cooks who occasionally get distracted mid-simmer (as I discovered).

What is the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish like to use?

Out of its fully recyclable packaging, the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish feels substantial and beautifully finished. The interior enamel is thick, smooth, and high-gloss. For context, a vitreous enamel coating is fused at high temperatures to create a durable, non-reactive cooking surface, so I always look for a good layer lining my cast iron dishes. The exterior has a gently textured, a heritage-style finish that will look good in any kitchen.

It’s compatible with all hob types, induction included, and is oven safe up to high roasting temperatures (typically around 240–260°C for enamelled cast iron). It’s also freezer safe, making it ideal for batch cooking and storing leftovers, although I would never relegate a cast iron casserole dish that's as good as this to my freezer.

I always begin my cast iron casserole tests with onions. The M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish had enough space for four large onions, finely sliced, spread across the base with approximately two tablespoons of olive oil. You'll often start of dishes that suit cast iron with some chopped onions, because cast iron has high thermal mass and relatively lower thermal conductivity compared to aluminium and stainless steel pans, which means it heats steadily and retains warmth exceptionally well.

Within 60–90 seconds, I heard a consistent sizzle across the entire base, a sign of even heat distribution. After five minutes over medium heat, the onions had softened uniformly with no patchy scorching. They developed a gentle golden translucence and tasted sweet and tender: a strong start.

One of the ways in which fried onions can be used is in a lentil bake or dahl. For the dahl test, I added garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, and chilli to bloom in the residual oil before introducing 200g red lentils and approximately 500ml stock. Maintaining a stable medium simmer is crucial here. If it's too hot and lentils catch and if it's too cool and they stew unevenly.

Over 20 minutes, the lentils absorbed the liquid gradually, swelling without sticking to the enamel surface. The base remained clean and the texture was creamy but structured. Importantly, there was no staining from turmeric or tomatoes. For a dish that tests both colour retention and heat sensitivity, it performed beautifully.

It would be crazy for me to test a casserole dish without making an actual casserole. It's also the place that the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish well and truly shines.

After building a base of aromatics, toasted spices, tomato paste, beans, vegetables, and stock, I covered the dish and reduced the heat for an hour-long simmer.

The dimpled lid is designed for condensation capture and redistribution, essentially a self-basting system. When I lifted the lid, I could see the moisture had circulated evenly, preventing surface drying. The vegetables were tender yet structured, the beans intact, and the sauce reduced to a thick, rich texture without sticking.

Later, I added dumplings and baked the casserole in the oven. The dish’s proportions are practical, so it fits neatly between oven racks. The dumplings browned evenly, with crisp tops and fluffy interiors, making it the perfect hob-to-oven-to-table dish.

Soup can easily be made in a saucepan, but when it's a recipe like leek and potato, there's something really hearty and wholesome about cooking it in a cast iron. You also get to serve it in the dish, which naturally makes it look good.

I boiled diced potatoes directly in the casserole dish, which is something many might reserve for a saucepan. While cast iron does take slightly longer to come to a rolling boil due to its mass, once there, it maintains it consistently. My potatoes were fork-tender in under ten minutes.

After sautéing leeks and herbs, I returned the potatoes with cream and stock, then blended directly in the pot using a stick blender. The enamel interior showed no scratching or dulling. The soup had body, gentle texture, and cohesive flavour.

You don’t instinctively reach for cast iron when making a stir fry, but it’s a brilliant way to test heat responsiveness and speed. I began with tofu, pressed and cubed, added to a lightly oiled preheated base. Within minutes, it developed a golden crust and was sizzling.

When I introduced vegetables and noodles, the heat remained stable and I could see satisfying steam pouring off the mix, a sign that this had reached high enough temperatures to rival my wok. The final result was a vibrant stir fry with tenderly cooked vegetables. It was a great success.

Cast iron’s ability to retain steam makes it ideal for bread. I preheated the empty dish in a hot oven (around 220°C), then carefully transferred in a 500g-flour sourdough loaf.

I baked it for 20 minutes with the lid on to trap steam, then 15 minutes uncovered to develop crust. The oven spring of my final loaf was impressive. It has great rise, an even crumb structure, and a golden, crackling crust. The interior remained soft and airy. It’s a deeply satisfying way to bake bread without needing to invest in another piece of kit that would clutter up the cupboard (although I do have a cast iron bread oven from Le Creuset that I swear by).

Cleaning the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish

This isn’t dishwasher safe, but cast iron rarely is (and I would never recommend it if you want yours to last). Thankfully, hand washing is straightforward. The enamel surface functions as a naturally smooth, low-porosity barrier, meaning most residue lifts easily with warm water and mild detergent. Even the richly spiced dahl left no staining.

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My only mishap came when I became distracted during a slow cook and scorched the base thoroughly. You can see one of the burning disasters on the image above, but make sure to click through the images, because you'll see that, after soaking and gently simmering water inside to loosen the residue, the burnt layer lifted away without scratching the enamel. It looked as good as new (and actually led to an article on how to clean burn off cast iron casserole dishes).

How does the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish compare?

Whenever I write about cast iron casserole dishes, the comparison with Le Creuset is inevitable. Le Creuset offers heritage manufacturing, lifetime guarantees, and iconic colourways, but often at £200+ for similar sizes.

So, is Le Creuset worth it against pieces like the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish? If you value brand legacy, extensive colour choice, and investment-level longevity, perhaps. However, in terms of functional performance (heat retention, enamel quality, moisture circulation) the M&S x Tom Kerridge casserole dish stands remarkably close, but for a fraction of the cost. At £30, it democratises cast iron cooking and I love it all the more as a result.

Should you buy the M&S x Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Casserole Dish?

If you want cast iron that performs across sautéing, simmering, baking, and even stir frying without stretching into triple digits, this is the perfect pot for you.

It feels premium in hand, cooks evenly, retains moisture beautifully, and cleans up without drama, even after my burnt-food episode. For families, first homes, or anyone cautiously circling the idea of investing in enamelled cast iron, it’s a confident, reassuring starting point.

How we test cast iron

At woman&home we like to test every piece of cast iron cookware with the same rigour, versatility, and scrutiny. This means that all of our reviews will test fast frying (normally onions and stir fries), as well as slow cooking (casseroles and stews), and baking (bread) and any other tasks that we think you'd use your cast iron casserole dish for. We aim to get a holistic idea of exactly what the casserole dish is like to use, down to the weight of the lid and the size of the handles. Once we're satisfied with the practical details, we will compare the casserole dish to other models to help you work out whether you're getting good value for money, or whether you should look elsewhere. By the end of the review, you should have a really clear idea of whether this is the right casserole dish for you. If you're still curious about how we test casserole dishes, you can read all about it on our dedicated page.

M&S Tom Kerridge Cast Iron Shallow Black Casserole Dish: £30 at Marks and Spencer UK

This pot is available in blue and black from the M&S site, with the option to have it delivered either next day or under standard delivery. M&S also offer store collection for free.

View Deal