Stars pay their tributes to ‘adored, talented’ artist and restaurateur
ARESTAURATEUR who was found dead after going missing from his home has been described by friends and Hollywood star Michael Sheen as a “very special character” who would be “hugely missed” by the whole community.
Nick Priestland, who was also an artist and gardener, ran The Cors restaurant in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.
He was reported missing from his home in the town on Monday evening and police said he was found dead shortly afterwards.
The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Those who knew him said he had a passion for food, life and laughter and that his kitchen hero was Keith Floyd.
Actor Michael Sheen said: “Nick was an absolute one-off. The house of wonders that he created with The Cors was an expression of who he was as a person, full of colour, warmth and character. Such wonderful company, so many laughs. He will be hugely missed.
“My thoughts are with his family, the Laugharne community that he was such an integral part of and all those who enjoyed and loved him and to whom he gave so much.”
Mr Priestland, 62, worked in the hospitality business for more than 30 years and had run The Cors since 1992.
Fellow restaurateur, food writer and broadcaster Simon Wright said: “The news of Nick’s tragic death is both shocking and deeply sad. I thought the world of him personally and also of what he created in around a quarter of a century at The Cors.
“His contribution in terms of the restaurant scene in west Wales was immense and his talent well recognised by food writers in the national press and by the awards he received, but Nick Priestland was much more than that, a prodigiously talented artist with a magical touch in both interior and garden design, his wild, free spirit shone through in all he did.
“Time spent with Nick was always joyous, often uproariously so – he was unique and, as such, irreplaceable.”
Satirical cartoonist Martin Rowson, who regularly visited The Cors, said: “It was a genuine pleasure and privilege, each year for the past five years, to see Nick again during the Laugharne Weekend, and luxuriate (that’s absolutely the right word) in his company, cooking, hospitality, garden, gossip and consequently our shared laughter and our collective hangovers.
“Nick was a true artist, in as much as he grabbed whatever canvas came to hand, whether it was a frying pan, a flower bed or a conversation.
“I’ll miss him enormously, and my deepest sympathy and love go to Sarah and the rest of his family and all his many, many friends. Sharing a small part of his life enormously enriched mine.”
Mr Priestland’s friend Richard Griffith said his death will leave a “huge hole” in the area. He added: “He was a lovely guy, a top
bloke and, as well as a big hole, we are left with fantastic and fond memories.”
Friend David Hardy said Laugharne would “never be the same again without him”.
He added: “He’s been threatening to give up running The Cors for as long as we’ve lived in Laugharne, about 15 years now.
“He said his dream was to concentrate solely on his gorgeous garden, but we always tried our hardest to talk him out of it because it was unthinkable to be without this fabulous place and the great times we were still going to have there. A lot of people are heartbroken at the news of his passing and a lot of that is because Laugharne can never be the same again without him.”
Mr Priestland is survived by his son, Jac, his sisters, Harriet, Sarah and Amanda, brother Adam, his partner, Sarah, mother-in-law Brenda Williams and sister-in-law Diana Gordon.