Blanc: Food allergies make kitchen like hospital
RAYMOND Blanc says so many of his customers now suffer food allergies his kitchen has become “like a hospital”.
The Michelin-starred chef described food intolerances as having become “almost a fashion item” – but blamed pollution rather than faddiness.
He said: “We have been self-destructing but we’re starting to appreciate the cost.
“We’re thinking about those chemicals and putting them together with our ill-health.
“You should see the board in my kitchen when we take orders – no milk, no flour, no lemon – it’s more like a hospital.
“A food intolerance has become almost like a fashion item but these are true allergies, provoked by what we eat and the environment in which we live.”
The Frenchman, who came to England in 1972, believes part of the answer lies in Britain growing more of its fruit and vegetables.We currently import around 70 per cent of the food we consume.
Raymond, 70, stocks most of his kitchen at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the two-starred restaurant he has been running in Oxfordshire since 1983, with produce from the gardens that surround it.
He said: “By growing and creating what we need here, you prevent all that pollution and its effects.
“Our environment and health are becoming a priority again as the consumer becomes more and more aware.
Renaissance
“Ignorance is slowly being replaced by knowledge and knowledge is empowering.”
However, he added: “There are still threats to our gastronomic renaissance.
“Take the rise of delivery services such as Deliveroo – it’s food without any effort.We’re alien to cooking now.”
But he believes lockdown is helping people rediscover the merits of home-cooked meals.
He said: “I think coronavirus will help a lot long-term because people have reconnected with growing and cooking for themselves. I hope it will last.”