THE RURBANIST Raymond Blanc

The RURBANIST

Raymond Blanc on slowing down, eating with the seasons and cooking for the Queen Mother

SCENT Walking through the gardens when the lavender is out. SONG Anything by the Rolling Stones. DISH Comté cheese and fresh bread. RESTAURANT My own! Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, of course. HOLIDAY The South of France.

Raymond Blanc in the garden of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the hotel and two-Michelin-starred restaurant he started in 1984 What’s bugging you most right now? I have lost my glasses! This happens far too often and I have had to buy many pairs.

Whose mind do you wish you could change?

My own sometimes. My heart says yes, but my mind (and my team) all say no!

What do you wish your parents had taught you?

My parents taught me so much. Growing up, I worked with my father in the garden – we grew vegetables and fruit. We would take the food we grew to my mother who would work her magic. My childhood furnished me with my work ethic, and my understanding of the importance of the seasons. One tip to save the world? Slow down. When we were in the midst of Covid, we all learned to stop and slow down. The fast world we lived in was in slow motion, but it has quickly sped up again. We need to take time and reconnect more with seasonality and the provenance and authenticity of food. The best thing about country life is… I love living in the Oxfordshire countryside – it is truly beautiful and Le Manoir is in a perfect location as we are also not far from the historic city of Oxford.

What’s the best way to put a smile on your face?

I love seeing my guests experience what we offer here at Le Manoir, especially seeing the children exploring the gardens and then enjoying their food. The pet you most loved… The most beautiful, calmnatured weimaraner called Earl Grey – he would sit proudly in front of the flower house, gracefully watching over our guests as they enjoyed the gardens. The book you wished you’d written? A book that stole my heart was Edouard de Pomiane’s Cooking in Ten Minutes. He was a romantic writer with an extraordinarily prescient understanding of how modernity would take away the greatest pleasures of life – time and family. Your greatest triumph? Cooking for the Queen Mother. She would visit us often, and come into the kitchen to watch us. One day, I convinced her to sing the French national anthem in a room full of English people – I will never forget that! Your epitaph would read... Never give up and keep life simple.

RAYMOND LOVES

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