To Le Manoir Born ; La Vie Francaiseraymond Blanc Is the Man Who Brought Classic French Cuisine to Britain. He has Been in the Michelin Guide Since He Was 21 and Scrutinises Every Detail of His Oxfordshire Restaurant, Right Down to the Lightbulbs. He Tells Frances Hardy Why His Manic Perfectionism Will Never Leave Him

Summary

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Raymond Blanc may well be the most revered chef in Britain, but he is not a celebrity; perhaps because he is so impeccably polite.

He eschews kitchen histrionics, does not rant at diners who have the temerity to request well-done steak, and adheres to the uncontroversial belief that his staff are more productive if they are not routinely humiliated. While Gordon Ramsay, chief exponent of the menacing four-letter tirade, ushered in a genre of volcanically short-fused TV chefs, Raymond's uncontentious mission is to redress the balance in favour of the calm reprimand.

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To Le Manoir Born ; La Vie Francaiseraymond Blanc Is the Man Who Brought Classic French Cuisine to Britain. He has Been in the Michelin Guide Since He Was 21 and Scrutinises Every Detail of His Oxfordshire Restaurant, Right Down to the Lightbulbs. He Tells Frances Hardy Why His Manic Perfectionism Will Never Leave Him

'Creativity thrives in an atmosphere that is not threatening,' he says. 'I want to bring back credibility and respectability to the industry.

Gordon is a great chef, but you don't have to create that macho, testosterone-fuelled atmosphere in the kitchen. It's the culture he promotes that I object to. I know TV likes to shock, but what are we becoming? A nation of voyeurs who find watching violence and humiliation enjoyable? Which pa...

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