Oh to be Richard Caring. Not only is the restaurant entrepreneur planning a huge expansion of his already sizeable empire, he has someone else doing the legwork. His chief executive Des McDonald told the Evening Standard he was working to expand the £200m annual turnover of Mr Caring’s high-profile portfolio, which includes The Ivy, Scott’s and Annabel’s, by around 20 per cent a year, suggesting it could become a half-a-billion business within five years. Mr Caring believes the recession provides buying opportunities.