My gardening world
Raymond Blanc
Raymond Blanc OBE is a self-taught French chef whose many TV shows include BBC2’s Kew on a Plate. He is chef patron at renowned hotel and restaurant Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, which has a superb organic garden that supplies fresh produce for the kitchen.
How can we improve flavour through the way we grow food?
By choosing the right variety and harvesting at the right time. If a plant is too young, it doesn’t have any flavour or texture, they need a certain maturity. But if you go too big, it can become too sweet or woody. And the variety makes so much difference, for example when you have a thicker-leaved spinach, you have much more texture, it cooks and tastes differently.
Tell us about some favourite varieties
Aubergine ‘Moneymaker’ is lovely when harvested very young, it already has taste and texture. It’s very productive and tastes fabulous, creamy with only a few seeds inside. So full of flavour when you pan fry or roast it. I also love ‘Romano’ peppers, slightly steamed, roasted – remove the seeds and fill with freekeh, which is a very ancient Middle Eastern wheat and full of protein. You add a bit of cumin, caraway and anise, you wrap it up, steam it again and you have the most gorgeous taste.
What’s your earliest gardening memory?
I remember the first time my papa talked to me about seasonality – he took a handful of seeds and he looked at me and said, “Look at them, they’re not beautiful, all crinkled, grey and brown, but they give life and provide food for the family.” He showed me the magic of plants.
Were you worried about losing your taste when you contracted Covid?
Of course staying alive was the priority, 90 per cent of my lungs were infected. But I said:
“Oh my God, if I lose my taste!” I had nightmares, but actually nothing like that happened, I was among the lucky ones. However, with all the medications and cuts in my mouth, it did take me six months to have a glass of wine or eat anything acidic again. We were very sorry to hear about your mother passing. Is it true your sons referred to her affectionately as Mother Teresa on speed?
Yes, she did everything so fast. She was a farmer’s daughter and worked all her life, she would do the garden and look after the house. Her best food was an act of love, the love it takes to grow, prepare and give it to one’s guests or family. These values are so deeply rooted inside of me, and it’s what I pass on to my young chefs. They go into the garden to understand the skills and difficulties of the gardener’s extraordinary craft. In this country, which is a gardening country, I still don’t understand why gardeners are paid so little. They have so much knowledge of the earth and food, it’s one of the most devalued crafts, there is something to be done about it.
Raymond Blanc’s new book Simply Raymond – Recipes from Home (£25, Headline Home) is out now. Hear the full interview on our podcast at gardenersworld. com/podcast