Richard Corrigan’s Oyster Stout Rarebit Recipe

Join us in celebrating St. Patrick's Day, with a recipe for Chef Corrigan's Oyster Stout Recipe!

As the vibrant greens of spring begin to unfold, there's one date on the calendar that holds a special place in our hearts - St. Patrick's Day!

Discover here a recipe for the occasion, from our Chef Patron Richard Corrigan - Oyster Stout Rarebit. This iconic dish intertwines traditional Irish flavours with a contemporary twist, making it a stand-out delicacy for this festive occasion.

From Chef Richard Corrigan...

“Oyster stout is made by a friend of mine, Oliver Hughes, who co-founded the Porterhouse Brewing Company originally in Bray, County Wicklow, making beers with no chemicals or additives, just natural ingredients. Now there are bars in Dublin and one in Covent Garden in London, and we have the oyster stout on tap in the bar at Bentley's. Oliver is an ex-barrister, part of the Slow Food Movement in Ireland, another one who is a bit of a food and drink anarchist, a member of the whole subculture of producers who prize individual flavour above brands. Imagine launching three stouts in Dublin, home of the most famous stout in the world; you'd have to have some front. When they started in Dublin in 1996, they cheekily called one of their American-style lagers "Weiserbuddy' - it had a label remarkably similar to a rather better-known American beer, and the slogan, 'You would be a wiser buddy for drinking this beer.' After they had had their fun and backed down and the writs stopped flying around, their next joke was to call one of their European beers 'Probably’, with the slogan 'The Best Lager in the World'. The oyster stout really is made with shucked oysters. It is gorgeously smooth, and just slightly sweet from the oysters - you can't taste them, but you know they are there, and it makes a delicious rarebit with Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire cheese.”

Richard Corrigan's Oyster Stout Rarebit

Serves 4 

100g butter
100g flour
400ml milk
330ml bottle oyster stout or other stout
250g good Lancashire cheese, grated
1 tablespoon English mustard
100ml Worcestershire sauce
A pinch of cayenne pepper and a little salt
8 oysters
8 thick slices of good bread

  1. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour to make a roux. 

  2. Cook for a couple of minutes, to get rid of the taste of the flour, then add the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, and then the stout, stirring again as the mixture thickens: it must be very thick. 

  3. Fold in the cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and salt. Don't worry about the colour; it will look very dark, because of the stout and the Worcestershire sauce, but once the cheese heats up under the grill, it will turn golden. 

  4. Leave to cool and thicken up and set some more.

  5. Preheat the grill.

  6. Open the oysters. Take them from their shells and pat dry with kitchen paper.

  7. Toast the bread on both sides. 

  8. Place an oyster on each piece of toast. Cover completely with the cheesy mixture. Put under the grill until the cheese is molten and golden brown. 

  9. Serve with more good stout - in a glass this time.