Chef Raymond Blanc on a Sustainable Food Mission

Raymond Blanc is a man who wants to drive change

In fact, chef Blanc has been driving change for many years through his role as the president of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, a position he has held since 2012. The not-for-profit membership organisation, based in the United Kingdom, aids food-service businesses to work towards sustainability in their sector and guides customers towards more sustainable choices. There are more than 10,000 restaurants and food establishments taking part in the various initiatives like “Food Made Good UK”, which focuses on sourcing, society and environment.

It is clear that chef Blanc is on a mission to educate the industry and people at home on how they can be more conscious about food choices and where our food comes from. He talks about environmental responsibility, stating that: “We need to listen to people like David Attenborough whose message is very clear. He has spent his whole life amongst nature and the earth and is watching its gradual degradation. he is not a political animal, but he is a moralist so when he tells us we have to change, we have to listen.”

Raymond Blanc speaks about Attenborough with profound respect, and clearly holds him in high regard when it comes to the changes that we need to make to take care of our planet. Blanc himself, is a father figure on the gastronomy scene, having trained 38 Michelin star chefs including Eric Chavot, Marco Pierre White and Bruno Loubet. 

Chef Blanc came from a working-class background in France and his approach to growing his own food started from a young age, spending much of his childhood in the family garden. This is something that Blanc continues to encourage and talks about the pleasure of growing your own food, and all the learning that comes with it. 

Blanc is the Chef Patron of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the acclaimed country-house restaurant and hotel in Oxfordshire which has retained two Michelin stars for an astounding 36 years. It is one of the top dining destinations in the UK.

Image: Raymond Blanc, OBE

Blanc has adopted the principles of sustainable food production from the outset with 12 stunning gardens including his organic vegetable gardens and his Orchard. His opinion on luxury is that it has to change away from being wasteful, into a more responsible and ‘close to home’ approach, helping local farmers and communities with a focus on seasonality.  

Given the situation the world is facing with the current pandemic, Blanc’s local approach is more important than ever. His philosophy on business and cooking is about a vision being shared. That vision is to take a more responsible approach and to think more consciously about where our food comes from. By supporting local producers, we not only have a positive impact on our planet but also help local businesses stay in business.

The slow-food movement started back in the late Eighties and exploded into a worldwide movement in the Nineties when the world grew a food conscience. 

Now, in our strange new locked-down world, this movement finds itself with a massive inadvertent following. There is no doubt that change is on the horizon, we’ve seen virtual farmers’ markets pop up, and with Brexit on the way, a more local approach to food production in the UK is inevitable. Since the lockdown started, the Seed Co-operative, an organisation that grows, processes and sells organic seeds has reported that orders are up to six times higher than a year ago. Due to very high demand, they had to disable their online order checkout to keep up with orders. Meanwhile, the Royal Horticultural Society has seen a fivefold rise in queries for advice on its website during the lockdown.

Raymond Blanc also offers courses at the Raymond Blanc Gardening School, at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. While the hotel is expecting to open in the summer of 2020, the Blanc Brasserie restaurants are still closed for the time being and you can find ideas, recipes and inspiration on their Facebook page.

In June 2020, Chef Raymond Blanc spoke live from London with Harry McKinley about the sustainable food movement and why we need to adopt a more responsible approach to where we source our food to collectively create change. 

You can watch the free online conversation here and also find out how you can join Raymond Blanc in the Scottish Highlands.