There aren't too many people who can get away
with calling body scrubs and lotions “nectar for your body” but
somehow it works when its Raymond Blanc saying it. Maybe it's the
French accent, or just his genuine enthusiasm for seeking the
very best ingredients, whether it's an exotic mushroom or a type
of olive oil to be used in his upcoming range of organic body
products.
In many ways, Blanc
(or RB as he is known) is the anti-celebrity chef. He doesn't
show up on TV swearing ferociously at trainee chefs and hasn't
rolled out a series of restaurants in LA,
Dubai and
Las Vegas bearing
his name. What he does do is turn his obsessive, perfectionist
eye on every little detail at Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons, the
country house hotel in Oxfordshire of which he is the chef-owner.
(He also owns a small group of brasseries). Blanc is
involved in every aspect of the hotel. While some chefs may be
content to stay put in the kitchen, he personally chose the
Pierre
Deux fabrics in the dining room, as well as the embroidered
pashminas hanging in the hotel's corridors, which he bought
during his travels in Southeast
Asia. As passionate about good design
as he is about food, Blanc's level of attention goes down to
insisting that all rooms have double-ended bathtubs with deck
mounted taps so that two people can bathe together without a
faucet digging into their backs (can you imagine Gordon Ramsay
caring about this?)
On a recent visit to
Le Manoir, Blanc took iTravel iShop on a personal tour of the
property and its gardens. His enthusiasm was infectious. He
stopped guests (albeit startled ones) to ask them how their stay
was and quizzed them on what he could do better. Although he was
suited and booted, he trampled through borders to pluck the last
of the season's ripe figs to share for an impromptu snack, and
stopped a young gardener to show her the ideal way to pick runner
beans (squat to save your knees, and twist and lift the leaves to
reveal the beans). Blanc also showed off his extraordinary
mushroom garden, which was developed with the Humungus Fungus
group, where over 20 types of exotic mushrooms are
grown.
While everything is
constantly evolving at Le Manoir, the newest project is an
upcoming celebration of Thai food. Chiva-Som's chef, Paisam
Cheewinsiriwat, will come to Le Manoir next month as a guest chef
hosting cookery classes combining Thai and international
flavours. The cookery classes will be held 15, 16 and 17 October,
culminating in a gala dinner on 19 October.
And in the
meantime, Blanc's travel tips.
Where is the last
place you've visited, and the next place you're
going?
I've just come back from
France, and before
that was Chiva-Som in Thailand. I go to a little
place in France to regain my sanity and my form. Its one of the few
hotels in Provence that is right on the beach, a five star place called
Le Club de Cavalière & Spa.
It's a Relais &
Chateaux property. I love it because you can be a slob and just
relax completely. I didn't move from the beach for an entire
week. The hotel serves simple Provencal food. It was just what
the doctor ordered.
Before that, it was
Chiva-Som. I first went 14 years ago because I heard it was
amazing. Back then, they were 20 years ahead with their knowledge
about food and relaxing and nutrition. I felt very at home there.
They had 250 types of massage. Their cuisine is based on the
principles of eating seasonally and the values of the food ”“
where everything is fresh, clean, healthy and tasty- is conducive
to pleasure.
How important is it to have Le Manoir be
a relaxed place, in both the food and the
decor?
Very
important. I didn't want a place where ancestors are staring down
at you. I did away with jackets and dress codes. We've gone
through all stages of cuisine, from minimalist to molecular- and
now food is about truth and honesty. Over the years our ideas of
luxury have also changed. This used to be signified by heavy
chintz and gold taps, and preciousness. For me, luxury is about
making someone feel comfortable, and to give them a healing and
therapeutic experience.
How do you
reflect this in the design of Le
Manoir?
So
much of modern design is about being clever, which I disagree
with. I think design has to be a tactile experience. The modern
guest want to feel good. Good lighting is critical and so is
little things like making sure all baths are double ended to make
sure guests can share a tub. I use beautiful Pierre Deux
fabrics in the dining room. The exterior of Le Manoir is very
masculine, it is a statement about power and money, so I wanted
the interiors to be very soft, very feminine. But I do not follow
fashion. It changes too much.
How has
travelling inspired your work?
My travelling has been a huge influence. I
have a Southeast Asian inspired garden here, a Japanese tea
garden. I am about to build a Provencal farm here. Fundamentally
I know who I am- I am a Frenchman- and I am not a confused
person. When I look at other cultures, I look at the textures,
the colours and the tastes, and I think how I can be inspired by
this.
Do you eat
street food?
Of course. In SingaporeI love the hawker
centres. This is the greatest food fair in the world. It is the
heart of South Asian fusion cuisine- you have Chinese, Indian and
Malay influences. You see miles and miles and miles of amazing
food. It's really in Asia
that street food was developed. Yes, you can
find it in places like Leeds, Manchester and
Bristol but it's not
the same. I also love the floating market in Cambodia. It's just
mind-blowing.
If you
wanted to take someone special out for a meal, where would you
take them?
It
depends on who it is. If it is a business meeting, I would take
them to Le
Gavroche. You cannot have a bad meal there, ever. It is a
very strong and assertive place, so perfect for business. If it
is a loved one, then Zuma. There is also a new
restaurant in London, Texture, that is run
by my ex-sommelier Xavier Rousset
and one of my ex head chefs
Agnar Sverrisson. We
have trained 22 Michelin starred chefs here at Le Manoir. To see
them succeed is amazing.
Do you like your kitchen gadgets or did
you stick to the basics?
n the kitchens here, we have all the gadgets
you can think of. At home, I'm not as into my gadgets but I do
need my knives! I use
Gustav knives. I've had them for 25 years. It's a long love
affair. I always make sure they are sharp. There is nothing more
frustrating than not having the right equipment in the
kitchen.
I love my
espresso machine. What frustrates me is when a machine doesn't
do its just properly. These days, its all about design and not
function. Never buy anything that looks good- look at the
strength of the engine.
In the kitchens
here, I use Waring products and at
home I have a lot of Kenwood. My Waring
liquidiser is a lovely little machine. Its ugly, but its
powerful. I also think that hand blenders are a great
tool.
Do you cook
at home?
Oh yes. I just bought a new house, a lovely
1920s house, but the kitchen is made to impress. Its too modern for me,
and doesn't have a gas oven.
What do you
brink back from your travels?
I buy things, such as a lovely sculpture
from India,
but I don't always bring back food. I bring back ideas. When I
went to Chiva-Som to reconnecet my philosophy of well being and
bring Chiva-Som to Le Manoir. Next, I would like to bring
Six
Senses and the Oriental,
Bangkok here. In February I
will be heading to Soneva Fushi in
the Maldivesto cook there.
How do you
keep challenging yourself?
I am a curious person. If it was just about
the food here, I would get bored. But for me it is also about the
art, the gardens and the design. I am in the process right now of
coming up with my own line of bath products with the Olive
Company for all the guest rooms. It will have shampoo,
conditioner and scrub, and be completely organic. A hotel stay
should appeal to all the senses, and when you use my products, it
will be like nectar for your skin.
Growing up,
you were very influenced by your mother's cooking. What are some
of her dishes you like the most?
Her crudite, and her soups, especially her
leek soup. I make it here and adapt it. Just give me a leek, a
carrot, a little bit of coconut milk to change it a bit...
What is the
last great meal you had?
I'm lucky because I've had so many. Just a
week ago I ate at Texture. In London, I ate at Luciano
restaurant. The food was very good. I had lunch with Marco Pierre
White. We started at noon
and ended at 1am! At Ducasse's Louis
XV in Monaco, it is always exquisite. I remember being there in
February and eating a feast of
strawberries.
Click here for Raymond Blanc's address book.
