Honorary OBE served up to formidable French chef Raymond Blanc

113/08
27 October 2008

The world famous French chef, Raymond Blanc, was presented with an honorary OBE (Officer of the British Empire) today by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, in recognition of his services to the British food industry.

Raymond Blanc was born in Besançon, rural France, but has lived in Britain for over 30 years.  Arriving in England in 1972, his illustrious career began in earnest at the Rose Revived restaurant, where he was working as a waiter when the chef at the time was taken ill.  Monsieur Blanc stepped in and the rest is culinary history.  Raymond Blanc opened his own restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Great Milton, Oxford in 1984 and after just one year, Le Manoir was named the “Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year”, proving Le Manoir’s motto that "The good does not interest us. The sublime does."  
 
Today, Le Manoir is the only country house hotel in the UK which has achieved and retained two Michelin stars for nearly quarter of a century. Raymond Blanc also runs cookery courses at Le Manoir and grows all his own organic vegetables and herbs, which are used in his restaurant.  He also owns a number of brasseries, including ‘Brasserie Blanc’ in Oxford, which have won several awards.    
 
Andy Burnham said:
 
“I am delighted to present Raymond Blanc with this honorary OBE.  His restaurant and country house hotel are by-words for excellence and quality.   Raymond has done an outstanding job in promoting culinary excellence not only to the British public, but for Britain itself, and has helped to raise awareness of the importance of healthy, nutritious food.  By basing his superb restaurant and hotel in Oxford, Raymond has helped to build the reputation that this country as a whole has as a place for fantastic food, with not only the most diverse varieties, but the best quality food in the world.”
 
Monsieur Blanc said:

“I am both proud and delighted to be awarded this honour by Her Majesty the Queen for my contributions to the food industry in Britain.  
“Being French, I have an almost innate love of the best cuisine and produce.  I am thrilled that building my successful career in cooking has grown alongside building an awareness and appreciation of good food, healthy dishes and quality produce for British palates.  I am proud to have my contribution to the British food industry recognized in such a privileged way and I look forward to contributing so much more in the future. ”
 
NOTES FOR EDITORS 

  1. Individuals who are not UK citizens or citizens of Commonwealth countries of which The Queen is Head of State are eligible to be considered for honorary awards for their services to the UK.  It is not customary for The Queen to present honorary awards.  The insignia of honorary awards for candidates resident in the UK are normally presented by the Government minister appropriate to the service rendered.
  2. Raymond René Blanc was born in Besançon, France, in 1949.  He now lives in Oxford.
  3. Raymond has received numerous cookery awards, ranging from being crowned by his peers as the AA’s Chef’s Chef of the Year in 2005, to the two Michelin stars held by Le Manoir for the past 24 years.
  4. Raymond also launched four branches of Brasserie Blanc, in Birmingham, Cheltenham, Manchester and Oxford, which became part of the Loch Fyne Restaurant Group in 2003. Raymond maintains a share in the business and continues to be actively involved in the business by devising new menus, appointing the chefs and kitchen teams. 
  5. Raymond is now also a familiar face on television, having been on shows such as Saturday Kitchen.  In October 2007, the first series of Raymond’s reality show, The Restaurant, was shown in which nine couples competed to win the chance of opening a restaurant with him.  A new series of the show will be screened this autumn.
  6. Raymond is also a patron of the Children’s Food Festival, designed to encourage a love of cooking and healthy food.

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