5 minutes with... Raymond Blanc

The master chef tells us why seasonal ingredients are the key to excellent cooking, gives aspiring chefs his top tips and reveals the gin cocktail that makes him swoon. 

You’re completely self taught as a chef. How did you learn to cook, and who inspired and helped you along the way? 

My main inspiration comes from my terroir, my home, my region, my gardens and my super mum, who my sons call ‘Mother Theresa on speed’. Although she’s soon to be 96 this year, she is not only a formidable cook, but also an inspired gardener. She taught me about the nobility of the produce, the soil, the magic of varieties and seasonality, which is at the heart of all that I do.  I can assure you that I have a medicinal herb garden with enough herbs, spices and aromatics to make the best gin… 

Why is cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients so important to you, and the quality of the finished meal? 

I named my restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, which is a tribute to the seasons. In the organic garden, we grow approximately 150 varieties of vegetables, which is a canvas and inspiration for my gastronomy. Seasonality means ‘close to home’, so better taste, flavours, textures, colours and nutrients.  When you cook with the seasons there is always a glut, so produce is less pricey and great savings are being made.  It’s win-win! 

What’s your best piece of advice for amateur chefs looking to step up their game?

I once had an amateur cook on a TV program called JJ – he was so bad at cooking, but so good at mixology that we decided to open not a restaurant, but a cocktail bar called the London Cocktail Club.  But to other young chefs, the advice I would give is: be curious, always ask questions, be true and look for the best provenance, nobility and purity of ingredients. Talent will never be enough to drive you to stardom or to be the best craftsman – hard work is also part of your success. And find joy working with an amazing team and transforming ideas into beautiful dishes. Oh, I forgot: don’t overcomplicate the food. Try to find simplicity

What’s your favourite ingredient to cook with?

My favourite ingredients are always driven by the seasons.  At the moment, that means the very best morels that I used to gather as a child, the first radishes, the
first asparagus, the first tender pea shoots, together with all these youthful herbs creating so much magic in any of my dishes, such as the first marjoram, lovage, angelica, oyster leaves, lime leaves and Japanese coriander. 

If we asked you to whip up a dish with some of the botanicals in our July Gin of the Month – apple, apricot, bitter orange and saffron – what would you make?

Easy.  Simply gather all these wonderful ingredients and make the most glorious crème brulée with a light safron and gin custard, cooked just enough so the mixture trembles and melts into the finest texture. Full of extraordinary layers, bursting with flavours. 

When the day’s work  is done and it’s time  to relax, what’s your  go-to gin cocktail?

Oh la la. It has to be the one and only Rose Petal Martini.  When JJ first made it for me I simply swooned. I was so overwhelmed by its scent, its flavour, its romantic values and the killer touch of the immaculate scarlet petal laid over the drin

Visit Raymond’s exciting new website to see what he’s cooking this summer, and find out more about the man himself www.raymondblanc.com