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A Taste of My Life
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Product Description
Raymond Blanc knows more about food and cooking than pretty much anyone else. His cooking has been described as 'an extraordinary process of creativity, passion, subtlety, indeed genius'. His life and career to date have been utterly dedicated to the search for culinary perfection. Raymond is entirely self-taught and over the years has been developing and refining his philosophy of food and eating. Such is his reputation that his restaurant near Oxford, Le Manoir, was awarded two Michelin stars even before it opened in 1984. He has taught many of Britain's most successful chefs, including Marco Pierre White and Heston Blumenthal.He has maintained extraordinary levels of excellence at Le Manoir for over two decades and it remains one of our premier destination restaurants. Now, for the first time Raymond is going to share the fruits of all that hard work and experimentation, and reveal the secrets of his gastronomy. Woven around stories from his years at the sharp end of the food business are his thoughts about where food is going and a passionate appeal for sustainable cuisine. This is an essential reading for anyone with an interest in food and cooking, this is the definitive book by a culinary genius.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #111329 in Books
- Published on: 2008-10-10
- Original language: English
- Binding: Hardcover
- 352 pages
Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
Raymond Blanc knows more about food and cooking than pretty much anyone else on earth, and his life to date has been a search for culinary perfection. Now, for the first time, he tells the story of that search and shares the secrets he has learned along the way.
Woven around stories from his childhood years, when Raymond learned the love of good food at his mother’s knee, are tales from the sharp end of the food business today, his thoughts about where food is going in the future and a passionate appeal for a more sustainable cuisine. From his days as a young boy collecting frogs’ legs in rural France to his career as a prodigiously talented chef cooking at the very highest levels of cuisine, Raymond’s passion for food has remained a constant. And in A Taste of My Life, his story takes us to every corner of the culinary universe, from simple, rustic cuisine to the rarefied realms of molecular gastronomy.
A Taste of My Life is a wonderfully engaging memoir by a culinary genius and essential reading for anyone with an interest in food and cooking.
About the Author
Born in Besancon, France in 1949, Raymond Blanc is acknowledged as one of the finest chefs in the world. His exquisite cooking has received tributes from every national and international guide to culinary excellence. Raymond arrived in England in 1972 to work as a waiter at the Rose Revived restaurant near Witney. When the chef became ill, he took over and two years later, the restaurant gained entry into the Michelin Guide. At the age of 28, Raymond Blanc opened his first restaurant which, 'Les Quat' Saisons' in Summertown, Oxford. After just one year, the restaurant was named Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year and a host of other accolades including Michelin Stars and Pestle & Mortar awards followed. It was in 1984, however, that he fulfilled a personal vision, creating an hotel and restaurant in harmony when he opened Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, Oxford. Le Manoir is the only country house hotel in the UK which has achieved two Michelin Stars for a total of 19 years. In 1991, Raymond Blanc established The Raymond Blanc Cookery School, welcoming both enthusiastic amateurs and professional cooks to the kitchen. The school provides the opportunity to develop their skills whilst learning some of Raymond Blanc's kitchen secrets.
Customer Reviews
Haute cuisine
This is a wonderful book - full of great stories about the food in Raymond's life and the life in his food. You learn something amazing about food on every page, all framed in the story of the great man's life. Anyone with even a passing interest in what they eat will find something here to get their juices flowing...
His passion for cooking and quality food shine through
I was lucky enough to meet Raymond Blanc (very briefly) last year. All in the room found him completely charming and his passion for food was totally infectious. He gossiped about his TV series 'The restaurant', asked the children there what they liked to cook, all the while encouraging us to come for lunch at Le Manoir - he has long had a policy to keep lunch an affordable treat!
This book is just like he is in person; combining episodes from his life, with stories from the trade and lots of thoughts on food and eating; and interspersed amongst the chapters are many recipes to try.
For a totally untrained chef, he is a complete natural in the kitchen. He is a real champion of quality produce and seasonal food. All this comes through in the stories of growing up helping his beloved Maman, through getting a glimpse of being a chef whilst waiting tables, and then grasping the mettle of cheffing for real when he moved to England in the 1970s where finding good produce was a problem. Luckily for us - he stayed.
Inspirational
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone interested in food and the restaurant trade. M Blanc has a jovial entertaining style and lots of good stories to tell. I have had the pleasure of dining in several of his restaurants including Le Manoir and reading this book brings back those special memories to me as it does encapsulate the atmosphere he generates in his restaurants. Anyone interested in France will also enjoy the early sections of the book which give some insight into how our french cousins (or for many of us expats - neighbours)develop their respect for food and their attachement to their regional cuisine.
