Oliver Peyton
Encyclopedia
Oliver Peyton is an Irish restaurateur and judge on the BBC
television series Great British Menu
.
, County Mayo
, Ireland
.
He attended Summerhill College, Sligo where he completed his Leaving Certificate with one honour. After leaving school Peyton headed to New York, "I spent six or seven months in New York. I got jobs, first of all digging artesian wells, then as a roofer with some very rough, tough guys. I'd get up at five to start at 6am, and these guys would immediately open a six- pack for breakfast." Perhaps more interestingly, he also worked as a waiter in New York, before returning home in 1979 to start a scholarship at attended Leicester Polytechnic to study Textiles - he left after two years.
In the 1980s, he opened two nightclubs - The Can in Brighton (with DJ Fatboy Slim) and RAW in London - and in the mid-1980s imported Sapporo Beer and Absolut Vodka
. Peyton owned a number of famous restaurants including the Atlantic Bar and Grill off Piccadilly Circus (closed 2005); Air (Manchester closed 2000), Mash (closed 2000); Isola (sold 2004 after being merged with Osteria d'Isola) and the Admiralty restaurant and function rooms at Somerset House
.
In 2006 Peyton's company Peyton and Byrne (of which he is Chairman), sold their events catering division Gruppo Events, to listed catering company Compass Group
for £3.6m. After this the company changed direction, opening up a series of restaurants within famous London landmarks including; Inn the Park, located in St. James's
Royal Park (opened 2004); The National Dining Rooms and National Cafe, at The National Gallery; The Wallace Collection; Meals Heals and The ICA Bar & Cafe Institute of Contemporary Arts
. In addition Peyton and Byrne also have cafe/bakery outlets at Heals, The British Library, St Pancras International station and Wellcome Collection
. Peyton and Byrne, is run by his sisters Siobhan and Caitrióna and Marie and in addition to the restaurants, cafes and bakers also has an events division, Peyton Events.
In late 2008, Peyton published his first cook book, The National Cookbook, in conjunction with the National Gallery (ISBN 9781857094275). The theme is the marriage of food and art, with over 100 modern British recipes alongside many of the National Gallery's most famous works.
Peyton has an upcoming Irish TV series on RTÉ, called, Recipe For Success, where amateur cooks compete for the opportunity to turn one of their recipes into a product sold by a major Irish supermarket chain Supervalu
.
He is one of the judges on BBC2's Great British Menu
programme.
Peyton is represented by Roche Communications and J Gurnett Personal Management.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Great British Menu
Great British Menu
Great British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet. The first series banquet was for the Queen on her 80th birthday. The second series was to cook for the British Ambassador to France at the British Embassy...
.
Biography
Oliver Peyton was born in SwinfordSwinford
Swinford, historically called Swineford , is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is surrounded by the settlements of Midfield, Meelick, Culmore, Cloonaghboy, Killasser and other villages. It is on the N5 road, located 18 km from Ireland West Airport Knock...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
He attended Summerhill College, Sligo where he completed his Leaving Certificate with one honour. After leaving school Peyton headed to New York, "I spent six or seven months in New York. I got jobs, first of all digging artesian wells, then as a roofer with some very rough, tough guys. I'd get up at five to start at 6am, and these guys would immediately open a six- pack for breakfast." Perhaps more interestingly, he also worked as a waiter in New York, before returning home in 1979 to start a scholarship at attended Leicester Polytechnic to study Textiles - he left after two years.
Nightclubs and restaurants
"restaurants should be about having fun"In the 1980s, he opened two nightclubs - The Can in Brighton (with DJ Fatboy Slim) and RAW in London - and in the mid-1980s imported Sapporo Beer and Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
. Peyton owned a number of famous restaurants including the Atlantic Bar and Grill off Piccadilly Circus (closed 2005); Air (Manchester closed 2000), Mash (closed 2000); Isola (sold 2004 after being merged with Osteria d'Isola) and the Admiralty restaurant and function rooms at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
.
In 2006 Peyton's company Peyton and Byrne (of which he is Chairman), sold their events catering division Gruppo Events, to listed catering company Compass Group
Compass Group
Compass Group plc is a global contract foodservice and support services company headquartered near London, United Kingdom. It is the largest contract foodservice company in the world and has operations in over 50 countries...
for £3.6m. After this the company changed direction, opening up a series of restaurants within famous London landmarks including; Inn the Park, located in St. James's
St. James's
St James's is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. It is bounded to the north by Piccadilly, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall and St. James's Park and to the east by The Haymarket.-History:...
Royal Park (opened 2004); The National Dining Rooms and National Cafe, at The National Gallery; The Wallace Collection; Meals Heals and The ICA Bar & Cafe Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
. In addition Peyton and Byrne also have cafe/bakery outlets at Heals, The British Library, St Pancras International station and Wellcome Collection
Wellcome Collection
The Wellcome Collection is a museum at 183 Euston Road, London, displaying an unusual mixture of medical artifacts and original artworks exploring 'ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art'. The Collection comprises three public exhibition spaces, an auditorium, events space, cafe...
. Peyton and Byrne, is run by his sisters Siobhan and Caitrióna and Marie and in addition to the restaurants, cafes and bakers also has an events division, Peyton Events.
Publications and Media work
Peyton is a well-known media figure in the UK, via both his work with the BBC and other media and speaking engagements, where he has been known to make controversial claims, such as:- 'Catering colleges are basically a stop-off before you're sent to prison. They're a disgrace.’
- 'People say you have to sell Coca-Cola. Why do you have to? It's a disgusting drink and it rots your insides. Smoke and take heroin instead - it's better for you.' Horticultural Trade Association's catering conference in 2007
In late 2008, Peyton published his first cook book, The National Cookbook, in conjunction with the National Gallery (ISBN 9781857094275). The theme is the marriage of food and art, with over 100 modern British recipes alongside many of the National Gallery's most famous works.
Peyton has an upcoming Irish TV series on RTÉ, called, Recipe For Success, where amateur cooks compete for the opportunity to turn one of their recipes into a product sold by a major Irish supermarket chain Supervalu
SuperValu (Ireland)
SuperValu is a supermarket chain in Ireland and Spain, owned by the Musgraves wholesaler firm. Its headquarters is located in Cork and has stores across the entirety of Ireland.-Company structure:...
.
He is one of the judges on BBC2's Great British Menu
Great British Menu
Great British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet. The first series banquet was for the Queen on her 80th birthday. The second series was to cook for the British Ambassador to France at the British Embassy...
programme.
Peyton is represented by Roche Communications and J Gurnett Personal Management.