FEATURE SARAH WILSON PHOTOGRAPH (MAIN) ADAM SWAINE
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MICHELIN-STARRED CHEF MICHEL ROUX JR RECALLS HIS CHILDHOOD IN SHIPBOURNE IN KENT
watercress with my father, and the Queen Mother sometimes visited, which was exciting. We lived in a pink cottage in the neighbouring village of Shipbourne. It was surrounded by the rolling hills of the Kent Downs, an area of outstanding beauty. Back in the 1960s, there was a church, a pub, a school with 30 kids and a cricket club, and that was it. And it hasn’t changed much now. St Giles’ church is still the focalpoint of the village green. It was an idyllic place to grow up. The River Bourne runs through the village and I remember going fishing with my father and catching pike, which we made into pâté. We were always out foraging, too, for mushrooms and snails. My favourite time of year in Shipbourne was spring, when everything woke up after the long dark winter. Kent is famous, of course, for the blossom on the fruit trees and my particular favourite has always been cherry blossom. Now I split my time between my London restaurant, Le Gavroche, and my French country house in the Ardèche, South of France, but I have very fond memories of the village where I spent my childhood.
W
The recently launched Michel Roux Jr Global knife collection is now available. Call 0114 275 6700,
globalknives.uk.com. Le Gavroche, 020 7408 0881,
le-gavroche.co.uk.
HOW TO ENJOY THE VIEW Shipbourne is between Sevenoaks and Tonbridge. Take the A2 out of London, turning off on to the A20. Continue on to the M20, then exit at Junction 2 for the A227. Use the postcode TN11 9NS for your satnav.
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housetohome.co.uk/countryhomesandinteriors
hen I was growing up, my father Albert Roux was a private chef at the Fairlawne Estate in Kent, which was then owned by Major Peter Cazalet who trained the Queen Mother’s horses. It was a wonderful place for a boy to explore. There were trout ponds where I picked wild
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