And Raymond himself wasn’t immune to the effects of the pandemic on his cooking.


Shielding from his partner and her daughter and away from his army of chefs at the hotel during the height of the crisis, he spent months living alone in his London flat where he says he literally ‘cooked his heart out’, from boredom and necessity, but rediscovering some long forgotten dishes, family favourites from his beloved France.


The result was his latest book, his thirteenth he thinks, Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home. This book sees a move away from high end dining and a return to more simple, family friendly dishes. Unfussy recipes with easily available ingredients.


“Everybody should have a few simple recipes to celebrate at home, with loved ones and friends. We can all cook but to create any revolution it takes time. I want to see everyone trying to cook more at home and not buying takeaways.”


Clearly food is so much more to Raymond that just fuel. Speaking about the recipes in the latest book, he describes the dishes as being those that mean the most to him, connecting him with family and friends and bringing back memories.


“This is cooking from my heart and my home.”


Raymond has often spoken about how his mother, Maman Blanc, was his greatest inspiration when it came to cooking and the book is very much inspired by her, made even more poignant as she sadly passed away shortly before he completed it.


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It is not just the beautiful country manor house or the sensational food which wow guests though but the stunning, picture perfect gardens which surround the hotel and the fabulous kitchen garden which provides vegetables and herbs for both the kitchen and the onsite cookery school.


Clearly quality produce is important to Raymond and this is just one of the topics he will touch on at Malvern.


“I cannot stress enough the importance of seasonality and local produce. This is a really powerful message.


“Buying seasonal and local is so beneficial in so many ways. Firstly you are supporting your local farmers and growers and that has a big impact on the local community. It provides jobs and keeps the village shop, the post office, the pub and village life all alive.


“It’s also good for the environment to not transport food all over the world and often it is better for your health,” he says.


Raymond has always been outspoken about the importance of people being able to cook for themselves and he says the pandemic has had a positive effect for many in this respect.


“Yes the pandemic was terrible [in fact Raymond became very ill after contracting Covid last year] but what was good was that people rediscovered cooking. Instead of ordering in a takeaway they reconnected with cooking and the dining table. It is so very important,” he says.


“It seemed everyone was learning to cook sour dough. That is a great way to destress and very rewarding. You make gorgeous bread with a lovely crust and it is good for your gut health.”


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Alongside the book have been two successful TV series and Raymond believes he has been lucky with his timing that the book and shows have resonated with people.


CE L EBRIT Y INTERVI EW RAYMOND BLANC OBE


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