For chef Ryan Riley, opening a letter from the Cabinet Office last December brought a surge of elation swiftly followed by a test of willpower. The letter confirmed he was to receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the King’s New Year Honours list, but it came with a strict instruction: tell no one. The 32-year-old founder of the not-for-profit cookery school Life Kitchen found that secrecy the hardest part, though he immediately broke it for one person – his father, Shaun.
A Dream Forged from Personal Loss
Riley’s honour recognises his transformative work with Life Kitchen, which he co-founded with his best friend since nursery, Kimberley Duke, in 2019. The project was born from profound personal tragedy. Riley’s mother, Krista, was diagnosed with lung cancer when he was 18 and subsequently died, having experienced the devastating loss of taste and appetite that often accompanies chemotherapy. Duke’s mother also died from cancer when she was 15.
"Life Kitchen was my idea, but Kimberley and I did it together," Riley explains. "We have been doing projects together since we were 10... Without her, I would be so screwed." From the outset, their vision was clear: to provide free cookery classes in luxurious venues, offering an experience of pure enjoyment during an immensely difficult time. "When my mum was ill, I remember going to community centres... but if these are your last months, do you want to be in a community hall? Or do you want to experience things that you might never get to?"
The Bittersweet Price of Success
The initiative quickly garnered an A-list following, with support from figures like Nigella Lawson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and Jamie Oliver. Through generosity from patrons like Lady Bamford and independent companies, they have helped an estimated 100,000 people worldwide via books and classes.
Yet, embedding themselves in the world of cancer has taken a heavy emotional toll. By the age of 30, Riley had attended 50 funerals. He and Duke also grapple with the complex reality that their success is directly linked to the deaths of their mothers. "The fact that it only came about because our mothers died means that pain comes alongside success again and again and again," he admits. This residue of guilt is why he has never sought to profit financially from Life Kitchen.
Riley acknowledges he never properly processed his grief, propelled instead by the "rocketship" of Life Kitchen's early success, which brought book deals and TV appearances. "You can run from grief, but it will get you in the end, and it came back to haunt me, for sure – the sadness and pain and also the celebrity," he reflects.
A Health Scare and a New Chapter
Last year, facing rising costs, Riley and Duke made the difficult decision to close Life Kitchen’s base in Sunderland. As Duke opened a restaurant in Hastings, Riley planned to focus on food writing. Then, fate intervened. Riley became seriously ill, experiencing daily vomiting, rashes, internal bleeding, and losing three stone. NHS investigations even placed him on the "cancer pathway" himself, a prospect he met with a strange acceptance.
While cancer has since been ruled out, doctors are now investigating a potential autoimmune disease. "The NHS is brilliant – but it is a long and lonely process and it wears you down," he says. To aid his recuperation, his father is helping him rent a house in North Yorkshire, where the countryside and proximity to family have proved healing.
Now, with renewed vigour following his BEM, Riley and Duke are preparing to relaunch Life Kitchen. A major announcement is planned for World Cancer Day on 4 February. "A new generation of Life Kitchen is about to emerge," Riley states. "This year we’re going to take Life Kitchen on the road with free classes with more knowledge and more science and experience."
For Riley, the royal honour has provided a profound personal solace. "I wasn’t there when my mother died," he shares, a fact that has long haunted him. "The BEM has cemented my mum’s legacy and also allowed me to believe that maybe she would be a bit proud of me... It’s given me a bit of closure."
Ryan Riley's Recipe for Joy: Easy Umami Noodles
As the first of his new weekly columns, Riley shares a recipe designed to bring comfort during the January chill. He describes a bowl of umami-rich noodles as "more than just food; it’s a shield against the damp, a salve for the weary."
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 2 nests of dried egg noodles
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp chilli oil or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- ½ tsp Maggi seasoning
- 2 eggs
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- Nigella seeds, for sprinkling
Method:
- Boil the noodles for 4 minutes (or as per packet instructions), then remove and set aside. In the same water, boil the eggs for 6 minutes for a jammy yolk, then cool in cold water.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the garlic and ginger pastes for 1-2 minutes until the garlic browns.
- Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Add the cooked noodles, chilli oil (or flakes), and Maggi seasoning. Stir well to coat and heat through for a minute.
- Peel and halve the eggs. Divide the noodles between two bowls, top each with two egg halves, and scatter over the spring onions and a sprinkling of nigella seeds.
