…By Larry John for TDPel Media.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is set to open a new restaurant at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, specializing in seasonal British cuisine.
The restaurant, which is yet to be named, will be Oliver’s first London opening since the collapse of his restaurant group in 2019.
Oliver’s new venture:
Oliver’s new restaurant will be located on Catherine Street, adjacent to the theatre.
The restaurant will specialize in seasonal British dishes, with Oliver sourcing produce from suppliers he has worked with over his almost 30-year career.
This includes free-range chickens and ducks from Creedy Carver and charcuterie from Cobble Lane Cured.
Oliver says that the new restaurant is inspired by the dishes he grew up cooking at his parents’ pub.
Oliver’s background:
Oliver rose to fame with The Naked Chef TV series in 1999 and has since opened 22 restaurants around the UK, including Jamie’s Italian, Barbecoa, and Fifteen London.
He grew up in Essex at his parents’ pub-restaurant The Cricketers in Chevening.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane:
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane is owned and operated by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Theatres and is currently home to the stage musical of the Disney movie Frozen.
The venue reopened in 2021 following a two-year, £60m restoration with four new hospitality spaces, including the Lily Vanilli afternoon tea.
Madeleine Lloyd Webber, commenting on Oliver’s new restaurant, says: “We are thrilled that Jamie Oliver will be operating a restaurant as part of our five-star theatre experience.”
Oliver’s comment:
“Losing my restaurants was one of the hardest times of my life,” says Oliver.
“But being a positive part of the restaurant industry is very close to my heart.”
He adds that the new restaurant will be “celebrating Britain’s rich and diverse food scene in what I hope will be an iconic, trusted restaurant in a very special place.
This opportunity truly means the world to me.”