Star Chefs · Ireland
Richard Corrigan The Meath farm boy who won Michelin stars in London and built a restaurant group from Mayfair to Cavan.
Michelin stars at Fulham Road (1994) and Lindsay House (1997), Bentley's and Corrigan's Mayfair, Evening Standard and AA Restaurant of the Year, the Caterer's Restaurateur of the Year 2018, years on BBC's Great British Menu and Virginia Park Lodge in Cavan.
Richard Corrigan is a native of Ballivor, Co Meath, and grew up with a love of farm and country life[2][3]. At 14 he started in the kitchen of the Kirwan Arms Hotel in Athboy, then worked in hotels in the Netherlands from the age of 17 before moving to London[2][3].
In London he cooked at the Oak Room and ran the kitchen at Mulligan's in Mayfair. He won a Michelin star at Fulham Road in 1994 and another at Lindsay House in Soho in 1997[3][6].
In 2005 he bought and reopened Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, and in 2008 he opened Corrigan's Mayfair, which was named the Evening Standard's Restaurant of the Year[4][5]. His group, the Corrigan Collection, now also runs Daffodil Mulligan, an Irish restaurant near Old Street[8], the Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery and two venues in Co Cavan[1][5].
Since 2013 he has owned Virginia Park Lodge, an estate by Lough Ramor in Co Cavan[6][7]. A regular on BBC's Great British Menu, he was named the Caterer's Restaurateur of the Year in 2018[3][4].
Life Timeline
Tap any moment to read its story.
- Stars From A Meath Hotel Kitchen To A Michelin Star A boy from Ballivor learns to cook at 14, works his way through Dutch hotels and London kitchens, and wins his first Michelin star at Fulham Road in 1994. Read The Story
- Stars A Second Starred Kitchen At Lindsay House In a Soho townhouse called Lindsay House, Corrigan wins another Michelin star in 1997 and keeps it for over a decade. Read The Story
- Business Taking The Keys To Bentley's In 2005 Corrigan buys and reopens Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, the London seafood house where he first cooked in 1992. Television follows the same year. Read The Story
- Opening Corrigan's Mayfair Wins London Over In 2008 Corrigan opens Corrigan's Mayfair. It is named the Evening Standard's Restaurant of the Year and wins three AA rosettes within three months. Read The Story
- Business Coming Home To Virginia Park Lodge In 2013 Corrigan buys Virginia Park Lodge, an 18th-century estate by Lough Ramor in Co Cavan, and turns it into a farm-to-table country house. Read The Story
- Award Restaurateur Of The Year At The Cateys In 2018 The Caterer names Corrigan its independent Restaurateur of the Year, honouring decades of cooking and a group built one restaurant at a time. Read The Story
- Opening Daffodil Mulligan Brings Ireland To Shoreditch In 2019 Corrigan opens Daffodil Mulligan near Old Street, an Irish restaurant with a wood-fired grill that revives the name of his first London kitchen. Read The Story
Restaurants
- Kirwan Arms Hotel Athboy, Ireland trainee His first kitchen, at 14, under head chef Ray Vaughan. [2]
- The Oak Room London, United Kingdom cook [3]
- Mulligan's London, United Kingdom head chef His first London restaurant as head chef, in Mayfair. [3]
- Fulham Road London, United Kingdom head chef His first Michelin star, in 1994. [3]
- Lindsay House London, United Kingdom chef-owner · …–2008 Michelin-starred in Soho from 1997; he closed it before opening Corrigan's Mayfair. [5]
- Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill London, United Kingdom owner · 2005–today A seafood house off Piccadilly since 1916, bought and reopened by Corrigan in 2005. [5]
- Bentley's Sea Grill London, United Kingdom owner Ran for four years in the Harrods Food Hall. [6]
- Corrigan's Mayfair London, United Kingdom chef-owner · 2008–today Evening Standard Restaurant of the Year and AA London Restaurant of the Year; home of Dickie's Bar. [5]
- Virginia Park Lodge Virginia, Ireland owner · 2013–today An 18th-century estate by Lough Ramor in Co Cavan, with its own farm and gardens. [6]
- Deerpark Inn Virginia, Ireland chef patron A gastropub with rooms next to the estate. [7]
- Daffodil Mulligan London, United Kingdom owner · 2019–today An Irish restaurant with a wood-fired grill in Shoreditch, with Gibney's bar below. [5]
- The Portrait Restaurant London, United Kingdom chef partner · 2023–today At the National Portrait Gallery, in partnership with Searcys. [5]
Ranking History
Rank3Six-month average77Assessment of the month77
We update the ranking every month. It follows a six-month weighted average of the fame score, so one quiet month changes little.
| Assessment of the month | Rank | Fame Score | Six-month average |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 3 | 77 | 77 |
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these sources. Each number in the text points to the source it came from.
- Official Corrigan Collection: Corrigan Collection | Restaurants & Venues By Richard Corrigan
- Press Meath Chronicle: Obituaries 19th April 2014
- Press The Staff Canteen: CHEF PROFILE: Richard Corrigan, chef/owner, Corrigan Restaurants
- Press The Caterer: Cateys 2018: Restaurateur of the Year – Independent – Richard Corrigan
- Official Corrigan Collection: Our History - Find Out More | Corrigan Collection
- Press The Caterer: Richard Corrigan and family: how the business is evolving
- Official Virginia Park Lodge: Country House Hotel & Wedding Venue, Cavan | Virginia Park Lodge
- Guide Harden's: Richard Corrigan to open farm-inspired restaurant at former Nuala site