Raymond Blanc is the chef of two-star Michelin restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire England. He was born in France and moved at an early age to England to work in the food industry. This book is a story of his early years as a farm boy all the way to his major success as one of England and the world’s finest chefs. Raymond Blanc also includes a few recipes of his classic recipes in the pages.

It’s as much an entertaining read as it is a useful read for aspiring young chefs. Allow me to show you just a few of the reviews the book has received.

“A delicious offering.”
~The Times

“A rattling good story.”
~BBC Good Food

“We hail his astonishing determination and his evocation of his life at home with Mum and Dad, and revel too in his descriptions of English catering in the years before Blanc.”
~Guardian

“Only a few great chefs are produced every century. Raymond Blanc is one of those great chefs.”
~Marco Pierre White

And an excerpt from the book if I may:

“I remember one of those rabbit meals when I looked up from my plate and stared at my mother. She had misty eyes, yet she had a smile on her face. The teardrops were there because she loved her rabbits. She adored them when they were alive, and it broke her heard when they were turned into a dish. The smile was there because, my God, the rabbit tasted superb. You could call it the French paradox. In France in those days, if a driver spotted a hare on the road he would, without hesitation, chase the animal in his car, if need be chase it across the fields, and probably get nowhere. My point is that although animals were regarded as stroke able, they were primarily viewed as eatable. Invariably, the family pet ended up on the plate.”

Get the book. It kept me entertained on the train during my commutes to school while in London. You’ll enjoy it, I promise.

Find it on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com for between $12-$19.