Raymond Blanc (1) (1949–)

I was lucky enough to meet Raymond Blanc (very briefly) last year. All in the room found him completely charming and his passion for food was totally infectious. He gossiped about his TV series 'The restaurant', asked the children there what they liked to cook, all the while encouraging us to come for lunch at Le Manoir - he has long had a policy to keep lunch an affordable treat!

This book is just like he is in person; combining episodes from his life, with stories from the trade and lots of show more thoughts on food and eating; and interspersed amongst the chapters are many recipes to try.

For a totally untrained chef, he is a complete natural in the kitchen. He is a real champion of quality produce and seasonal food. All this comes through in the stories of growing up helping his beloved Maman, through getting a glimpse of being a chef whilst waiting tables, and then grasping the mettle of cheffing for real when he moved to England in the 1970s where finding good produce was a problem. Luckily for us - he stayed. show less

Pretty as a picture, nicely presented, and written in an engaging style but not as practical as some. Despite many attempts at the Tarte Tatin recipe including buying the right sort of apples and the right sort of tarte tatin tin, and following the instructions meticulously it always turns out as a soggy pile of buttery apples and pastry.

Surprisingly simple recipes using uncomplicated ingredients. There were only one or two items I would struggle to find in our rural supermarkets. It was surprising to find such a top chef including tins, which I think reflects the fact that thus book was written during lockdown. So it's actually full if recipes for every day, not just Hugh days and holidays.

I like Raymond Blanc, and I particularly enjoy his television show, The Restaurant. I respect his views on food and service very much. I had heard good things about his book and was looking forward to reading it. By and large I wasn't disappointed, and I liked learning about his early life in France, and how he came to end up making his life and business in Oxford. However, there's a lot of technical information about food and cookery in this book. I enjoy reading about food and cooking, but show more I did find myself wanting more about Raymond's life, and less about the technique.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable book, and one which I would recommend to anybody who likes Monsieur Blanc and cookery, or is interested in learning more about the restaurant trade. show less