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Raymond Blanc

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Raymond Blanc
Born (1949-11-19) November 19, 1949 (age 76)
Near Besançon, Franche-Comté, France
Occupation(s)Chef, Restaurateur, Television presenter, Author
Years active1972–present
Known forOwner of Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons; mentoring prominent chefs; television appearances
Notable workRecipes from Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons; Cooking for Friends; Blanc Vite; A Taste of My Life (autobiography); Kitchen Secrets; others

Raymond Blanc OBE (born 19 November 1949) is a French chef and owner of Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a hotel-restaurant located in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. This venue boasts two Michelin stars and has earned a 9/10 score in the Good Food Guide. Entirely self-educated in his craft, Blanc has been a mentor to prominent chefs including Heston Blumenthal, John Burton-Race, Michael Caines, Paul Liebrandt, and Marco Pierre White.

Early life

Born near Besançon in the eastern French region of Franche-Comté, Blanc grew up in the village of Saône. While his mother, Maman Blanc, taught his sisters how to cook, his father engaged him and his brothers in cultivating the family kitchen garden. For his tenth birthday, he was gifted a colander and a foraging map, which initiated his early culinary learning under his mother’s guidance.

Career

Blanc initially trained as a waiter and gained experience at the Michelin-starred Le Palais de la Bière in Besançon. In 1972, after being dismissed for displeasing the head chef, he was advised to seek employment in England.[1] Arriving with limited proficiency in English, he began working at The Rose Revived in Newbridge, Oxfordshire. He later married Jenny, the daughter of the restaurant owner, and they have two sons.[1]

Prior to opening his own establishment in 1977, Blanc worked under chef André Chavagnon at La Sorbonne in Oxford. That same year, the Blanc family launched Les Quat' Saisons in Summertown, Oxford, financing it through mortgages and loans. The restaurant rapidly earned recognition, securing Egon Ronay's Restaurant of the Year award and two Michelin stars.[1]

In 1981, Blanc established La Maison Blanc, a bakery and pastry chain that expanded to 14 outlets across the UK, including London and Oxford. Products from Maison Blanc were also retailed through Waitrose supermarkets. The chain ceased operations in 2017 under the ownership of Kout Food Group.[2]

By 1983, Blanc had purchased a manor house in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, where he opened Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a country house hotel featuring a restaurant with two Michelin stars. The venue achieved five AA stars and received a 19/20 rating from Gault Millau, establishing itself as a top gastronomic destination.[3]

In 1996, Blanc introduced Le Petit Blanc in Oxford with the goal of bringing French culinary principles to British diners through approachable cuisine. Around this time, at age 42, he faced health challenges related to stress.[4]

Following divorce proceedings that nearly jeopardized his business interests by 2003, four Le Petit Blanc brasseries (later rebranded Brasserie Blanc) became part of the Loch Fyne Restaurant Group. Despite this transition, Blanc retained an ownership stake and continues to contribute to menu creation, staff training, and promotional efforts. Since its inception in 1996, Brasserie Blanc expanded to multiple locations including:[5]

  • 1996 - Le Petit Blanc, Oxford (awarded one Michelin Star; rebranded as Brasserie Blanc in 2006)
  • 1998 - Cheltenham
  • 1999 - Birmingham (closed 2008)[6]
  • 2000 - Manchester
  • 2004 - Tunbridge Wells (closed 2009)[7]
  • 2007 - Leeds and Milton Keynes
  • 2008 - Bristol (closed 2019)[8] and Winchester
  • 2009 - Portsmouth
  • 2010 - Chichester and Threadneedle Street, London
  • 2012 - Bath, Berkhamsted, St Albans; Covent Garden location closed in 2016;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content along with St Paul's and Tower Hill branches in LondonCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

In 2012, Blanc was appointed president of the Sustainable Restaurant Association and also took on the role of Culinary Director for Eurostar.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content The following year in March 2013, he partnered with London Mayor Boris Johnson to promote hospitality apprenticeships by offering positions to twenty-one apprentices across Brasserie Blanc venues.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Blanc is an advocate for the Children's Food Festival, which has been hosted on the Northmoor Trust Estate since 2009.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content In 2014 he co-hosted Kew on a Plate, a television series focused on vegetable growing and culinary preparation.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

During the fourth series of The Great British Bake Off, Blanc sparked controversy due to online remarks about contestant Ruby Tandoh’s appearance and emotional reactions. Tandoh publicly addressed issues of online misogyny following these comments. Subsequently, Blanc apologized for his conduct, attributing it to being a "grumpy Frenchman".Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have contentCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Chefs mentored by Blanc

Blanc has played a significant role in the development and employment of several distinguished chefs and restaurateurs, including:

Television career

Blanc has maintained a strong presence on prime-time television in the UK, having hosted programs such as Food & Drink (1987), Take Six Cooks (1986), and various seasons of Masterchef between 1990 and 1998. From 2007 to 2009, he fronted BBC Two’s reality show The Restaurant, where couples vied for the opportunity to launch their own dining establishment.

His television contributions also include appearances on shows like Great Chefs of the World, Saturday Kitchen—notably during the 2007 Omelette Challenge—and several BBC broadcasts focused on subjects such as organic food production. The third installment of The Restaurant in 2009 attracted criticism regarding diminished production quality and contestant standards.

Significant TV engagements include:

  • 1985 - Take Six Cooks
  • 1987 - Food and Drink (six-episode series on BBC2)
  • 1994 - Blanc Mange (six-part series on food science for BBC2)
  • 2000 - Friends for Dinner (BBC2 series featuring guest chefs)
  • 2001–2007 - BBC Radio 4 (industry-related discussions)
  • 2001 - Appearances on Newsnight and SKY News addressing culinary industry matters
  • 2002 - Passion for Perfection (twelve-episode Carlton TV series)
  • 2004 - So What Do You Do All Day (BBC Two profile episode)
  • 2007–2009 - The Restaurant (BBC Two reality competition)
  • 2010–2011 - Kitchen Secrets series (BBC cooking shows)
  • 2011 - Raymond Blanc's Christmas Feast (BBC special)
  • 2012 - The Very Hungry Frenchman (BBC Two)
  • 2013 - Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well (BBC Two)
  • 2015 - Kew on a Plate and an appearance on Food and Drink'
  • 2021–2022 - Simply Raymond series (ITV)
  • 2024 - Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens (February to May broadcast)

Additionally, Blanc made a guest appearance in the third season of the BBC sitcom Miranda.

Personal life

Blanc is father to two sons, Olivier and Sebastien. He lives in Oxford alongside his long-standing partner Natalia Traxel. In recognition of his contributions, he was honored with an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008.

Published works

  • 1988 – Recipes from Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons (MacDonald Orbis)
  • 1991 – Cooking for Friends (Headline)
  • 1994 – Mange: The Mysteries of the Kitchen Revealed
  • 1998 – Blanc Vite: Fast Fresh Food from Raymond Blanc (Murdoch Books)
  • 1999 – A Blanc Christmas (Headline)
  • 2002 – Foolproof French Cookery (BBC Worldwide)
  • 2005 – Simple French Cookery (BBC Books)
  • 2008 – A Taste of My Life (Bantam Press) (autobiography)
  • 2011 – Kitchen Secrets (Bloomsbury Publishing)
  • 2012 – My Kitchen Table: 100 Recipes for Entertaining (BBC Books)
  • 2014 – Kitchen Garden Experts (Frances Lincoln)
  • 2015 – Kew on a Plate with Raymond Blanc (Headline)
  • 2019 – The Lost Orchard (Headline)
  • 2021 – Simply Raymond (Headline)

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named BMIVoy
  2. ↑ Maison Blanc Has Closed
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ John Crace: Raymond Blanc: 'People are confused by my accent'
  5. ↑ Brasserie Blanc
  6. ↑ Lodge: City Centre Rates force Blanc out of Brum
  7. ↑ Losses blamed for closure of top restaurant
  8. ↑ Bristol's Brasserie Blanc to close permanently after 10 years
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