Neven Maguire is one of Ireland's best-loved TV chefs. He is also at the helm of the acclaimed McNean House & Restaurant, runs the Neven Maguire Cookery School and has published eight books. He is also father to twins, Connor and Lucia (3) who have inspired his latest book, Neven Maguire's Complete Baby & Toddler Cookbook.
If I’ve learned one thing about myself since become a father it is...
What haven't I learned? I've learned a huge amount and I'm learning everyday. I've learned that having a family is the greatest gift. For me, it's very important that they enjoy food. People are asking me already if they're going to become chefs! As long as they are enjoying food and eating what we're eating I'm happy. We never cook anything different for them, and I love seeing their tastebuds evolve.
Right now, I think we're in a good place we're having a lot of fun. It is definitely hard at the start with the lack of sleep. That's hard to get used to but at the same time as a chef I'm a night person, I don't need an awful lot of sleep. I'm absolutely delighted that they're in good form and they're healthy. It was a shock at the start (Nevin's wife, Amelda, was gravely ill after the twins were born). For the first year she was quite weak but she's made a full recovery. She's a marvelous mother.
My mother and father taught me so much about being a parent...
They taught me to be happy, to have fun and to enjoy life. And enjoy food, of course. My mum and dad have been great influences on my life. I'm not an expert and I'm learning every day, but they taught me to make time. Time is the big thing. They had five boys and four girls, but they've always made time. At McNean House, we are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and we close at Christmas, and this is since my parent's days there. I want everyone who works with me to have a life. It's another thing my parents taught me, that's very important.
My mother-in-law has also taught me a lot. She's very wise and very grounded. She's very old school in a good way. She is so caring. She always has little gifts for Connor and Lucia, and she minds them three days a week while Amelda works so we're very lucky to have that.
The main thing that’s changed between me and my partner since becoming parents is…
We've always been close but I think it's brought us closer and we spend more time together as a family. I'm full of admiration for her because she is an absolutely wonderful wife, but she's an amazing mother. She's so good with the twins. She's so calm – not that I'm not! – but she just doesn't get flustered. I think you have to be disciplined in a nice way not in a firm or a harsh way. We have so much fun together, and that's great.
The most surprising thing I’ve found about parenthood is…
I find I look at other families now and I think you become a lot more respectful of other parents because it is a hard job, well not a job, but it's a hard life bringing up a family. So I think we can all learn from eachother.
At the start, I went two weeks without seeing the twins, and I realised then and there, that I wasn't going to have this. This isn't what I want for my life. I want to spend as much time as I can with them. So Monday and Tuesday is my weekend to spend with them, and I take the odd Sunday lunch off. I'm getting the right balance now. You don't want to miss them growing up. There are things that I wouldn't have done before that I do now. We're quite active, we bring them swimming, it's great.
Also, we all sit down together for dinner. If I'm in the restaurant I pop away we're only five minutes up the road which is lucky. So we all sit down together with no phones, no ipads and just have fun together.
If my children have taught me anything, it’s…
How precious life is, how special it is and how fun life can be. We get caught up in our world of work, and I love my job, thank God. I am lucky to have such variety in my working life. But they have made a home a home if that makes sense.
The most important lesson I’d like to teach my children is…
I come from the food side of things; that's what I've done all my life so I suppose I'd like to teach them to enjoy food and to celebrate good food together. I don't care if they work in the industry or not. Though I'd like, when they're a bit older, if they worked in the restaurant because I think it's good to get experience and learn values about respect and also about enjoying life. It's a good eye opener.
The last thing I think about at night before I go to sleep is…
Are the twins okay? Are they asleep? I always go in and check on them because I could get home around 12 or half which is not as bad as it used to be. It used to be two o'clock, so it's definitely improved a lot. The twins have made me realise that I don't need to be at work until two o'clock. I need to come home, especially if I need to get up with them. And I always wake up with a smile on my face because I love my life. I'm very lucky and I never take it for granted. There's a lot of sickness and a lot of sadness in this world but the twins have been the light of my life and they've certainly made it a better place. I couldn't imagine life without them.
