Latest news with #RichardCorrigan
Irish Independent
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Semi-final Player of the Match Sarah Wall puts injury nightmare behind her as she emerges from the shadow of sister Vikki
Festivals Richard Corrigan on his cancer diagnosis: 'I had a check-up in October. Three weeks later, I was with a couple of surgeons, having a seven-hour operation' Last July, I met Richard Corrigan for a pint in The Groucho Club. Afterwards, we had a quick bite to eat in a Korean restaurant next door, and then – unusually for him – he went home to Primrose Hill. (I'd been hoping to drag him to see Taylor …
Irish Independent
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Richard Corrigan on his cancer diagnosis: ‘I had a check-up in October. Three weeks later, I was with a couple of surgeons, having a seven-hour operation'
Last July, I met Richard Corrigan for a pint in The Groucho Club. Afterwards, we had a quick bite to eat in a Korean restaurant next door, and then – unusually for him – he went home to Primrose Hill. (I'd been hoping to drag him to see Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium.)
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Royal chef Richard Corrigan reveals his secret battle with kidney cancer
A celebrity chef who has cooked for the Queen has revealed his secret battle with kidney cancer. Richard Corrigan, 61, runs multiple high-end eateries in London and most recently opened The Portrait Restaurant atop The National Portrait Gallery. The three-time winner of the BBC 's hit show Great British Menu told The Times about the train of events that led to his diagnosis. Corrigan said his wife forced him to go for a check-up after noticing changes in his physical and mental state and that sleep patterns were out-of-whack. A private scan subsequently revealed a giant cancerous tumour on one of his kidneys. Fearing that he did not having long left, the larger than-than-life Irish chef responded in characteristically outlandish fashion - by treating himself to several crates of the finest bubbly. He said: 'I decided I'm not going to drink s*** if this is my last six f***ing months, so I phoned up David Motion in the Winery in Little Venice and said, "David, I'm only going to drink Grand Cru for the next few months", so he sent round five grand's worth. 'I said to Maria, "If it's my final countdown, I'm doing it with f***ing great champagne." Corrigan endured a seven-hour operation at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where surgeons discovered that the tumour had spread into the main vein for the kidney. Doctors were also concerned after seeing black spots on his lungs, fearing the cancer may have metastasized - but they turned out to be small clots related to his kidney issues. For four months the superstar chef required a daily visit from an NHS nurse and he is now receiving state-of-the-art gene therapy from cancer specialists at St Barts. The chef is full of nothing but praise for the NHS, which he describes as 'one of the greatest healthcare services in the world' - and says he does not begrudge paying tax to fund it. Corrigan, whose own mother died age 66 of cancer, even invited his entire surgical team to his upmarket resturant in Mayfair, lavishing them with magnums of champagne and spoonfuls of caviar. He said: 'We had the lot of them — Ravi, the head theatre nurse, the whole lot of them — and Ravi wrote me a lovely letter saying how everything was amazing and the best part was watching me in the kitchen doing what I'm supposed to do, as he said, "to see you back at work".' Passionate in his beliefs and never one to shy away from controversy, Corrigan - a farmer's son from Co Meath in Ireland, who was raised Catholic - recently attended the protest in support of singer Liam O'Hanna from the Irish punk band Kneecap. O'Hanna, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with terror offences in May for waving a Hezbollah flag at a UK concert in November 2024. He said: 'A policeman sees me,' he says, 'and he says, "You're that chef off the telly, aren't you? I'll escort you through the crowd, sir." So I say, "No, I'm joining the protest." The celebrated chef has never been afraid of airing his opinions in public, admitting earlier this year that he found Meghan Markle's Netflix series 'pretentious'. 'I admit I watched With Love, Meghan – it's a bit pretentious,' the Irishman told the Mail's Richard Eden. 'I don't like the pretence. California is all very Hollywood, it's all very samey – Britain is not like that.' The chef compared Harry and Meghan to Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, another American divorcee. Edward abdicated in 1936 so he and Mrs Simpson could be married. Corrigan said: 'I don't think anyone likes people doing cheap TV. If you're gonna leave [royal life], buy yourself a nice pad and entertain and enjoy yourself, but don't become a burden.' The remarks were not the first time Corrigan had expressed his disappointment with the former actress's behaviour. 'I cooked for the Queen free of charge, of course. And I'll cook for anyone, but let me just say, some people will have to pay. I'd let [Meghan] in the restaurant, for sure, but the Queen had the red carpet rolled out. Would Meghan? I don't think so.' Meghan's eight-episode series, released on Netflix as part of the Sussexes' reported £85million deal with the US streaming giant, has now been renewed for a second season While Corrigan holds the Queen in the highest regard, it is clear that he has less affectionate feelings to some other members of the Royal Family besides Harry and Meghan. In 2021 he revealed that he had a 'minor member' of the royals escorted out of one of his restaurants after they used the word 'Paddy' - which can be an anti-Irish slur. He has to this day refused to name the royal, but confirmed only that it was a woman. 'I have witnessed very little racism, or racist kind of remarks, to me in over 33 years of living and working in London,' Corrigan said. 'I mean, [there were] the odd times that they did pass comments. There's been a few [times a] minor member of the Royal Family called me 'Paddy'.' Referring to the incident, he said: 'I made her pay her bill and kicked her out on the street, so that word goes around very quickly.' He added: 'I've always associated racism and comments like that with the bullies, so if you give it straight back into their eyes, they tend to shut up and go away, and stay quiet around you.' But he says that the prejudice he faced was nothing compared with that endured by Irish immigrants in the past. 'It has happened in the previous generation going there [to London], the Irish people that went there in the Fifties and Sixties, they got it between their two eyes.' Corrigan has also courted controversy by lashing out at health and safety culture in British restaurants. Speaking in 2018 to Mail Online, he said: 'The nanny state has taken all the fun out of dining. Enough is enough. 'Every day there's another public health scare. 'The relentless cries of a fearful few tell chefs that we can't serve bacon, we mustn't offer red meat, and if we do it must be well done or we risk cursing our customers with a death sentence. 'I'm increasingly being told how to prepare my meals by health and safety executives. 'The finest game our country can offer is to suffer the indignity of being served with all traces of pink removed. 'We may as well bin the lot. No one with any taste wants to eat the way these zealots would have us eat.' Corrigan's restaurant portfolio includes Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill and Corrigan's, both in London's swanky Mayfair district. The TV chef also runs Daffodil Mulligan near Old Street, as well as Virginia Park Lodge in Co. Cavan, Ireland, with the most recent addition to his portfolio being the much-lauded The Portrait Restaurant - branded 'one of those rare restaurants that can match the splendour of its surroundings' by the Mail.
Time Out
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The restaurant with the best view in London, according to Time Out
Like a view with your vichyssoise? Then you're going to eat up our recently updated ranking of the 18 London restaurants with the best views. At the hallowed number one spot is Forza Wine at the National Theatre, which is situated in a prime position on the South Bank, meaning serious views of the Thames over to Embankment, as well as a food menu so good that the restaurant has also made it onto our 2025 list of the top 50 restaurants in London. 'Forza Wine's spot at the National Theatre ticks all the boxes,' we said. 'Cocktails, natty wines and seasonal small plates from their self-proclaimed 'Italian-ish' menu. A wraparound outdoor terrace with views of the South Bank. A spot at the top of a cultural institution, in a building loved by 1960s architecture pervs across the land.' New entries into the list include Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat, aka the highest restaurant in Europe, which is in seventh place. Lucky Cat opened earlier this year and is on the 60th floor of 22 Bishopsgate. The food? Fine. The views? Sensational. The Portrait by Richard Corrigan is at number two, which you'll find on the very top floor of the National Portrait Gallery. We said: 'Basically every London skyline landmark is visible at once from the bright, simple and airy restaurant space, and the menu is stonking, offering modern British delights with an emphasis on the light, fresh and seasonal.' Another gallery spot, the Tate Modern Restaurant, also features on the list. We also feature a couple of spots at ground level – you don't have to be in a skyscraper for a good view, you know. Pont de le Tour next to Tower Bridge is in at number 16, and Rick Stein's riverside joint in Barnes also makes the grade (number nine!)
Irish Post
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Chef Richard Corrigan opens countryside retreat up for second culinary festival
CULINARY entrepreneur Richard Corrigan has confirmed a second instalment of his Homegrown festival will take place this year. The restaurateur, who owns Corrigan's Bar & Restaurant, Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill, Daffodil Mulligan Restaurant & Gibney's Bar in London, also has the Virginia Park Lodge in Cavan. Virginia Park Lodge is owned by celebrity chef Richard Corrigan (Pic: Haydon Perrior) Last year the Meath native launched the new festival, which saw him open up the countryside retreat to paying customers who wished to enjoy the ultimate foodie getaway where some of the world's best chefs do all the cooking. This month Corrigan has confirmed the festival will return for a second offering in October 2025. From October 10-13 the 18th-century, 100-acre hunting estate, which is set on the banks of Lough Ramor, will host the event once again. Guests enjoying Homegrown 2024 And this year's event sees Corrigan welcome a collection of award-winning chefs and food personalities from Britain and Ireland to join him. They include Mark Hix, who is one of Corrigan's oldest friends, the Scottish-born, London-based chef and restaurateur Jeremy Lee, Irish culinary star Darina Allen and the restaurant critic Tom Parker-Bowles. Richard Corrigan has confirmed Homegrown 2025 will take place in October Purchased in 2014, Corrigan spent a decade painstakingly restoring Virginia Park Lodge its former glory. The Taylour Room at Virginia Park Lodge 'I've thrown everything into restoring this glorious place since I took it on 10 years ago and it fills me with such joy to be able to share it,' he said as tickets went on sale for Homegrown 2025. Darina Allen will take part in this year's festival (Pic: Daniel Callen) 'The estate sits alongside the beautiful Lough Ramor and is home to some truly brilliant produce,' he added. 'I invite guests to step into this wild land, taking part in some of my favourite country pursuits and enjoying some brilliant food prepared by some of my dearest friends and me.' A series of dinners, workshops and activities will showcase the very best of the veneu over the course of the festival, as well as the visiting chefs' work - from cooking masterclasses and chef Q&As, to oyster and wine tasting sessions, foraging tours and cold water swimming. Mark Hix has been announced among the festival's culinary line-up (Pic: Matt Austin) Friday night will see a fireside feast in the Lodge's Jacobean style dining room, followed by drinks in front of a roaring seven-foot fire. On Saturday night the chefs will collaborate for a dinner which "showcases their individual styles and love of fun and flavour" the event organisers explain. "The entirety of the event will showcase the estate in its autumnal splendour, with produce grown and reared on or around the estate informing everything that is served," they add. "A number of live performances from some of Corrigan and family's favourite musicians will take place too and the weekend will end with a wrap party at the chef's award-winning pub down the road, The Deerpark Inn."
