Raymond Blanc
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Great Milton, England
http://www.manoir.com.uk
The man who has been named European Chef of the Year, Catey Chef of the Year, and who has received L’Ordre de Napoleon, says he never formally trained for his profession. Obviously Raymond Blanc means schooling, for this native of Besancon, France, has trained with the best throughout his career. Learning the stations of the kitchen, Blanc worked at the Nouvel Hotel in Besancon, at the Palais de la Biere, at the Rose Revived in Newbridge, England, at the Hotel Weisbaden in Germany, at La Sorbonne in Oxford, and was manager and chef de cuisine, bleu, blanc, rouge, at Oxford.
In 1977 Blanc opened Les Quat’ Saisons at Oxford as chef/proprietor. A year later he opened Maison Blanc, a patisserie and boulangerie. It was a venture that lasted until 1988. Meanwhile, his Quat’ Saisons won a star from the Egon Ronay Guide and the AA Guide, and a Pestle & Mortar from the Good Food Guide. Soon it was two stars, and the Egon Ronay “Restaurant of the Year” title. In 1983, Les Quat’ Saisons won two Michelin stars.
Not one to rest on his laurels — or bay leaves — in 1984 Raymond Blanc created Blanc Restaurants Ltd., including Le Petit Blanc, his small restaurant which had one Michelin star, and the newly-opened Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons — two Michelin stars were awarded immediately. He expanded again in 1991, opening Le Manoir Ecole de Cuisine, and in the middle of the decade, Le Petit Blanc brasseries in Oxford and Cheltenham.
But, as they say, that’s not all. Raymond Blanc is familiar all over Britain for his BBC TV series, “Blanc Mange.” He has also appeared on “Take Six Cooks” and “Masterchef.” He has numerous articles and several books to his credit, including “Recipes from Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons” (Little, Brown, 1988) and “A Blanc Christmas,” published by Headline in 1996. He is a consultant to Waitrose and a consultant for in-flight food for Virgin Atlantic Airways. He is a member of the Club des Cents, the Academy of Culinary Arts, the Restaurateurs Association of Great Britain, the Guild of Food Writers, and the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs. Gault Millau rates Le Manoir 19 out of a possible 20, and awards 4 toques, its highest. Gault Millau named Le Manoir the “best restaurant in Britain” in 1996. The Manoir belongs to Tradition & Qualite, Relais & Chateaux (Purple Shield), and Relais Gourmand (Red Shield), and is one of only 5 Red Shield hotels in the world; the only hotel to hold both Purple and Red Shields in Britain. The Good Hotel Guide summed it up: “Perfection.”
