18/12/2024
The legendary chef explains how to make the perfect roastie, why turkey still triumphs over beef and the unusual ingredient in his Christmas pudding.
It's only 16:00 on a freezing autumn afternoon in central London but the daylight outside has already started to fade. As chef Richard Corrigan descends a staircase into the elegant Art Deco bar of his Mayfair restaurant Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, however, he brings with him a blast of energy and exuberance to blow away any gloom brought on by the darkness outside.
The larger-than-life character roars with laughter and tells riotous stories that underline his reputation as a bon vivant who has pretty much seen and done it all in the world of food.
Corrigan is a legendary figure in London's dining landscape, and 2024 marks 30 years since he first won a Michelin star and 46 since he started working as a trainee chef in his childhood home of County Meath, just north of Dublin.
Today, in addition to Bentley's, he runs the restaurants Corrigan's Mayfair, Daffodil Mulligan, Gibney's London, The Portrait Restaurant (atop The National Portrait Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square) and Virginia Park Lodge in Ireland's County Cavan. He has published two books and made countless TV appearances – including winning BBC's the Great British Menu no fewer than three times and serving as a judge on the show. He has also cooked for guests including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Barack Obama, in a dinner at 10 Downing Street.
