Having spent the past 40 years living and working in the UK, Frenchman Raymond Blanc is almost an honorary Brit. His classic French accent rolls out of television screens with his excited ‘voilas’ punctuating nearly all his demonstrations, while his restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons near Oxford, is a byword for French cooking at its classical, innovative and, quite frankly, expensive best.
Ever-cheerful and relaxed these days, and as genial as he seems on TV, Franche-Comté-born Blanc suffered two mini strokes when he was just 42 – possibly caused by stress. He begins our conversation by thinking back about his life and experiences.
"I am a self-taught chef, I suppose," he muses. "I became a chef at the age of 27. I had never worked in a professional kitchen – just a few months in a bar – but all the time, my mind was preoccupied with ideas for recipes, or the scents and tastes of ingredients."
It was a form of ignorance that made him passionate early on. "As I was untrained, I had so much to catch up with. How could I do that dish? What if I did this to that?" He pauses thoughtfully. "It’s no exaggeration to say I was obsessed. In trying to conquer and catch up, as well as to go further and discover new tastes and experiences when it came to cooking and eating.
"I think my grandmother and Maman Blanc passed this cooking DNA on to me," he says cheerfully. "Not that my father’s influence wasn’t important too. He was a watchmaker by trade, but also an expert gardener and would plan ahead to ensure that our garden would produce the very best. On my tenth birthday, he gave me a handwritten gardening calendar and a series of maps of the wild, drawn by him, showing secret places to go hunting, foraging and fishing."
The things the young Blanc brought back, he then learned to cook.
In the family
Like so many great chefs, Blanc believes his mother was probably his greatest cooking influence. "I watched Maman Blanc cook and I was a key helper in her kitchen from a very young age," he says.
Cooking was in the Blanc blood, although Raymond is the first ever male cook in the family. "My grandmother was also a wonderful cook; her culinary talents were renowned and respected throughout my region. She was known as La Mère – a title that was bestowed on all women cooks."
In the time of Blanc’s grandmother, those involved in food preparation had to make do with far fewer kitchen aids than we enjoy today. "What I learned from my mother is that you don’t need to necessarily have all the modern gadgets – you need to depend on sight, touch smell and sound."
French and foremost
Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, which opened in 1984, is known for providing French cuisine par excellence, and Blanc reveals his inspiration behind this gastronomical giant.
"When I was creating Belmond Le Manoir it was, and still is, a labour of love," he explains. "I wanted to create total excellence in every facet of the restaurant – the food, the service, the gardens, the art, right down to the beams of light on a painting. How can you be any different? My vision was to create a place with republican values; because I come from a working-class background, I wanted it to have an ‘inclusive’ luxury.
"The first thing I did was to kill table protocol. People were sitting in a particular way, on the edge of their seats with straight backs, eating in a particular way, waiters looking down on them in a disapproving manner. I wanted warmth, laughter, fun, lovers holding hands, families coming together."
Blanc made it his personal mission to shake up the formality of fine dining. "I told the young commis to engage with the guests, then I started to [get guests to] remove jackets and ties – people were dressed up to the hilt and I did not want them to be uncomfortable. We also actively welcomed children. You have no idea what a battle that was," he laughs.
"I had to fight the food writers, the travel writers, my managers, the chefs, the maître d’hôtel and even guests who envisaged little hooligans running around, but I’ve had very few problems. It’s very simple; you make the kids feel important – you show them the kitchen and let them choose their ice cream for later. It’s about making people feel special, whether they are little or big.
"We have a great mix of people coming here. Half of our guests come in their Bentleys and Ferraris, but we also have those who come once a year or maybe once in their lifetime. Some dress up, some don’t – it’s about comfort; it’s about celebration.
"Let me tell you a story," he continues. "I will always remember in our first year, a young couple arrived in a little battered Mini. I could see their fear and apprehension when they saw Le Manoir. They were about to turn back, but I ran to them and said please do come in; I will give you the most wonderful time of your life, which we did."
Blanc remains immensely proud and equally humble about what he has achieved at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. "Yes, it is my vision, but I work very hard for the people who work there to own it as much as I do – emotionally, aesthetically, intellectually, and business-wise."
"I try to teach young people to open up to new ideas and be curious," he explains, warming to his theme. "I want them to ask thousands of questions. Everything is based on knowledge – our people are trained to know the answers to anything you may ask them. They have to understand the vision, share it, own it and pass it on."
This may sound very grand but for Blanc, hospitality begins at ground level. "For example: even a simple thing like peeling a carrot. You must know everything about that carrot – what variety it is, where it is grown, the pH level of the soil, how big that kind of carrot should be, which way to cut it. Then you must pass that knowledge on and enrich somebody else," he says.
Blanc is very proud of the chefs that have passed through his hands, including Heston Blumenthal, John Burton-Race, Michael Caines, Paul Liebrandt and Marco Pierre White. "Yes, we have trained and mentored many young people, launched many careers and helped dozens to start their own businesses: 27 Michelin starred chefs, 40-50 managers, the world’s best sommeliers and numerous craftsmen. And now they are doing the same – passing on that knowledge. They cannot help it because it is part of the culture."
Blanc on the UK food scene
"When I arrived 30 years ago, England was a very different place. Food was class-led and luxury was exclusive. For the majority, food was devalued; it was a fuel to feed the body and the cheaper the better. But there’s a quiet revolution going on. People are starting to understand again that food connects with everything – with your environment, society, farm, home, family values and the health of the nation. It is truly exciting to see people start to respect food, enjoy food and give it value.
"I love good chocolate, which is not essentially British, but there is one British chocolate bar in particular that I have always loved. It’s…" he pauses, "I’m not going to reveal the name that would be unfair to all the others.
I will give you a clue though; it’s been around in different variations for more than 100 years."
