The Blanc revolution

Raymond Blanc spills the beans on growing up in France, spreading the good-food gospel and how British gastronomy has rediscovered its mojo

‘Every Frenchman says his mother was the best but my mother and grandmother really were extraordinary cooks.’ Perhaps that’s why chef Raymond Blanc’s Oxfordshire restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons has held two Michelin stars for three decades, despite the chef himself being self taught. ‘Food is about family. It’s about seasonality, freshness, variety and regionality. Produce is everything. My mum gave me these basic values.’ 

As a boy, Blanc spent two months with his grandparents every summer. They were gatekeepers of a castle with gardens, where his love of food was born. ‘Trees grew in the orchard and conservatories, which held every type of fruit and vegetable imaginable. Flowers and vines cascaded down the terraces. It was magical,’ he remembers.