We were thrilled to have Raymond Blanc join us recently for a live web chat – it's now finished but you can read the full transcript in the comments below.
World famous chef Raymond Blanc is returning to our screens this week with a new series, The Very Hungry Frenchman. Raymond arrived in Britain in 1972 as a 22 year old, unemployed French waiter with a shaky grasp of English. Ten years later he was a chef with two Michelin stars. While he has been successful in his adopted home he has never forgotten his first love; the food and wine of France. Now Raymond is going back to five of his favourite regions so that he can re-connect with the food and people that have inspired him - farmers in Burgundy, chefs in Lyon, winemakers in Alsace, good friends in Provence and cheese makers in Franche-Comté.
In each place he will take over a restaurant for one night only and cook a feast inspired by his journey, serving a menu that features his versions of each region’s most famous dishes. Learning from the master in his homeland will be two lucky young chefs Katie-Beth and Kush. Despite 30 years at the top in the UK, for Raymond this will be the very first time he has cooked professionally in France. It’s a daunting, nerve racking and exciting task... but one suited perfectly to Raymond Blanc.
Raymond Blanc: The Very Hungry Frenchman airs this Thursday, 2 February at 8pm on BBC2
This web chat with Raymond is now closed but you can read all the questions posed to the master of French cuisine about foodie dilemmas, below.
