INTRODUCTION RAYMOND BLANC’s SEASONS
ago. But if we cooked like that today people would
be falling off their chairs. But there is a place for
cream and butter in special dishes — poulet aux
morilles, for examples begs for loads of cream—
but it’s not for every day!”
The maestro’s enthusiasm is infectious and it’s
easy to see why so many trainee chefs have fallen
under his spell and gone on to become master chefs
themselves, including an array of Michelin star chefs
such as Marco Pierre White and Michael Caines.
Within Raymond Blanc there’s a tremendously
diverse energy going on, too, with Le Manoir itself,
a growing number of Brasserie Blanc restaurants,
the hugely popular and riveting television series, The
Restaurant, and, most recently, a fascinating new
book.
It’s clear that Raymond has put a huge effort
into his bestselling new book, A Taste of My Life.
It’s a book you can’t put down. It brings together
the shifting picture of Raymond’s life, the challenges
facing a self-made chef, the inspirations, successes
and a few entertaining disasters—spiced, of course,
with many great recipes.
“It’s more a foodography than autobiography,”
says Raymond. “There are tasty food stories from
the heartland of my kitchen and Maman Blanc’s
kitchen. It’s about how I began to go into the heart
of food, the essence of food and learning to love
and appreciate it—from romantic frog hunting to the
terror of opening my first restaurant, and all that has
led to. At the centre of this is Maman Blanc who
has been the strongest influence on my life as a
chef, as I’ve said many times.” Not prepared to step
back for a moment, Raymond is already planning
his next book.
An abiding passion is passing on food lore and
in a remarkably generous and open-handed way,
knowledge to those of us who are receptive and
inquisitive, because, as Raymond says, “Food
is really the essence of our human makeup, it
connects with who and what we are. It connects
with what sort of society we want to create.”
This is a cry from the heart and I ask Raymond
if being a Frenchman reinforces this passion.
“Yes, I’m very much a Frenchman at heart. But
I’m probably a better Frenchman because I’ve
been enriched by the multicultural approach to
food in England.”
So, dear reader, read on, and be inspired by
Raymond Blanc’s food philosophy, his passion
for quality, and for our remarkable four seasons
that inspire us to enjoy and appreciate the fresh
perfection that’s available to us all if we take the
trouble to seek it out, prepare with care—and
cook from the heart!
A Taste of My Life by Raymond Blanc has been
recently published by Transworld Publishers.
12 RAYMOND BLANC’s SEASONS
www.raymondblanc.com
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