Celebrity chef Nigel Haworth talks hospices and hotpot

‘Hospices are very special places, with very special people’.

Celebrity chef Nigel Haworth has praised the important work of hospices, saying it is a privilege to support St Catherine’s.

Nigel – Chef Patron of the Michelin Starred Northcote restaurant in Langho, Lancashire – features in a book in which famous faces and popular personalities from across the region list their top 10 ideal dinner guests.

Proceeds from sales are being donated to St Catherine’s and two other charities by author Tony Slater.

Nigel said: “St Catherine’s is an amazing cause, as all hospices are. It grounds you to think about how much care people need in their final chapter. Hospices are very special places, with very special people.

“It was an honour to be asked to feature in the book.”

‘R.S.V.P – By Special Invitation Only’, took more than three years to compile. It also asks contributors to choose what food they would serve their guests, with Nigel opting for a classic Lancashire hotpot followed by raspberry trifle. He would invite Michelle Obama, Mary Berry, Mick Jagger and Sir David Attenborough.

“I thought it was a really interesting concept for a book,” Nigel said. “You always think about iconic people you would like to meet, people who have influenced you.

“In reality, I enjoy having friends and family over for dinner parties – it’s great fun.

“I’ve got my golf friends and my chef friends, and everyone says it must be easy to host a dinner party because of my job, but there’s always that pressure to deliver; the expectations are set wherever you’re dining.”

Nigel, who appears on shows such as Saturday Kitchen, was one of the winning chefs of the BBC’s Great British Menu in 2009, thanks to his famous Lancashire hotpot.

“It was great to have it celebrated as an iconic English dish, which is why I chose it then for the competition, and have chosen it as my main course in this book too.”

Proceeds from ‘R.S.V.P’ are being split between St Catherine’s Hospice in Preston, Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley, and the Baby Beat Appeal based at Royal Preston Hospital.

The charity’s chief executives and managers have all contributed to the publication, alongside the likes of the late football legend Sir Tom Finney, comedy actor Steve Pemberton, Olympic athlete Samantha Murray, and World Superbike racer Carl Fogarty MBE.

Stephen Greenhalgh, chief executive of St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “I was delighted to be asked to contribute to such an interesting and unusual book.

“The fact that proceeds from sales are being shared between St Catherine’s and two other very worthy local charities is fantastic. It is only thanks to the work and support of generous people like Tony that we are able to continue helping people to have quality of life, to the end of life.”

Stephen opted for fish salad followed by a cheese board. He would invite Nelson Mandela, Eric Morecambe, and Audrey Hepburn.

• ‘R.S.V.P’ is available on Amazon and in the St Catherine’s gift shop, based in the hospice’s reception.

Photographs by Harry Mountain. 

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