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.