Raymond Blanc's culinary skills may reveal an imaginative twist on French classics, but Alastair Gilmour is sorely tempted by his forceful opinions on the food industry.
 A hour in the company of one of the world's greatest chefs is exhausting. Those 60 minutes with the celebrated Raymond Blanc is also an exhilarating, inspiring and stimulating experience. His passion for food takes a whistle-stop tour through home-grown produce, genetically-modified food, couch potatoes, health timebombs and education - and that's before he describes the pears in his garden that explode with flavour and juice. He has been visiting the North-East as a guest of Fenwick, the Newcastle department store, in association with AEG, the domestic appliance company with an approach that reflects his own obsession with performance, versatility and the pursuit of excellence. His cuisine attracts descriptions such as intelligent, daring, imaginative and adventurous, and he has received tributes from every guide to culinary excellence known to man. Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons country house hotel, near Oxford - which he opened in 1984 - has achieved the highest awards of any restaurant in Great Britain and is regarded as one of the best in Europe. Its menu has been described as "a twist of imaginative genius" where the quality of the food stems from the freshness and purity of its ingredients. He is impressed with Fenwick's food hall and the region's reliance on its tastebuds rather than food fads and fashion as he sees happening elsewhere. "It's lovely to see good ingredients here," he says. "I've picked up clams, cockles and mussels - the mussels are very good, lovely, full of sea water. I'll make a simple dish with them with white wine and lemon juice." Our local cheese makers, he says, have also developed their business and their products impressively over the past few years (though he's not so sure about Fenwick's Dutch red peppers). "There has been a tremendous change for the better; the consumer wants better food and customers will come back for quality," he says. "Supermarkets should support local farmers, like in Italy, a country that protects its farmers. Even the French are losing that." And, when Raymond Blanc promises to make "the best omelette you have ever had", you know he means it because he has already said: "Cooking is a pure expression of art; it involves all the senses of a craftsman taking the elements of earth, sea and fire and transforming them into a palette of flavours and textures. It is momentary and short-lived, but the memories are everlasting." Le Manoir is the only restaurant in the UK to achieve two Michelin stars every year for nearly two decades. Its two-acre kitchen garden produces 90 types of vegetable and more than 70 varieties of herb, many of which Raymond discovered in his mother's garden. However, as a youngster in Besançon, in eastern France, he wasn't at all interested in gardening. "My parents were working class," he says. "We had about three acres of land around the house with 90pc of it given over to vegetables and fruit. The rest was this tiny piece of lawn - in Great Britain it exactly the reverse. I hated gardening as a kid, but it was a fantastic introduction to the world of food. "I'm the first chef in my family. I used to follow my father around for berries in the forest and for mushrooms, so I got deeper and deeper into nature and the seasons. At Le Manoir I wanted to create a garden that grew not just one type of turnip but 20 or 30 varieties. I just want to show the beauty of the flavour and the texture - even when I peel a carrot, I think how to produce the flavour better." Raymond studied architecture for three years, but realised its rigidity and formality it wasn't for him. "I hate mediocrity," he says. "It's the worst affliction of any human being. But, anybody who can plant a tree is a very lucky man." His culinary curiosity was aroused as a 21-year-old (he is now 55) while looking through a restaurant window and watching a chef flambé a sea bass. He approached the owner for a job and started washing dishes, all the while observing the chef and steeping himself in the kitchen regime. He taught himself about food and progressed to waiter. In 1972, he heard of a job going in England at the Rose Revived in Newbridge, Oxford, and after a year was promoted to chef. Two years later, the restaurant appeared in the Michelin Guide, the restaurant-goers' bible. After saving to buy his own restaurant, Raymond opened Les Quat' Saisons in Oxford, which was soon gathering distinctions, plaudits and Michelin stars. It has now relocated a few miles away in a country house and renamed Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons where food education is maintained through the unique Ecole de Cuisine, a culinary university. It goes without saying that his apprentices must share his passion. "I look for someone who is prepared to work, not a dreamer or a prima donna," he says. "I always ask if they are ready to deal with difficulties when things get tough in the kitchen - kitchens can be difficult places at times. A promising chef must love people and must love cookery - they go together - and they must have intelligence. This allows movement, flexibility and understanding, vital factors for success and progression in the industry." Raymond's engaging manner and persuasive style aren't confined to the kitchen - they cover every aspect of the food industry - and he gets very animated when he thinks about the dreadful things happening in the name of food. "We had meat once a week at home, but ate very well," he says. "We lived like kings. We all want to live forever and food is the single most important factor to longevity, so we need to invest in it. If not, we'll be hit by all sorts of ailments. "There are big problems being stored up. People aren't eating together any more. Eating out of a plastic bag in front of the television - where the hell are we going? The health service will collapse with people having strokes, cardio-vascular disease and allergies - it's a nightmare. The second generation of fast-foodies will be frightening. It's a serious problem. What kind of society are we creating? "In Britain, you take a 20-minute break to eat white bread and processed cheese in front of a keyboard. In France, it would be an hour with a glass of wine, some home-made bread and good conversation. We have reduced it to a need to eat; it's frightening. We need to refocus. It's education, education, education. Education is a by-product of the fun you're having. "I have strong opinions, but don't take myself so seriously. I can laugh at myself. But, the Hell's Kitchen type of television programme make me despair - it's a sad reflection on British people. Seven million morons watched that programme - there was nothing good in that; it was depressing. Nobody shouts in my kitchen, it's demeaning, but what worries me are those people fascinated by verbal and physical violence. "We're working hard for credibility and that sort of thing has set us back 25 years. We have put huge investment into training - £2m for proper restaurant training facilities, courses and training rooms. My greatest achievement is in the staff I have produced. Food is such an important part of our lives and education is a very big part of it, too." Raymond talks at length about "nightmares" in genetically-modified produce and food that is of a uniform size, shape and flavour, but surely he must be a nightmare guest to invite for dinner? Imagine preparing a meal for someone of his culinary stature. "Actually, I'm the kindest guest anyone could ever have," he says. "I know the trouble that people have gone to creating what they put in front of you. "Some of the greatest moments of my life have been around the table." | 
