William Sitwell struggles and eventually gives up trying to get a word in edgeways with the Michelin-starred chatterbox Raymond Blanc
William Sitwell struggles and eventually gives up trying to get a word in edgeways with the Michelin-starred chatterbox Raymond Blanc
I’m in the grand lobby of the Landmark London hotel, just off Marylebone Road. I’m talking to Raymond Blanc, or rather he’s talking to me. What he’s saying may be in response to a question I asked. Then again I can’t remember quite what the question was, and I have a feeling he can’t either.
‘The world is changing,’ he says. ‘We have to think very carefully about our nutritional levels. Every molecule that we consume has an impact on our skin, eyes and hair. It is very important — my God it is important — that you have some awareness of this. Lycopene, for example — you must have it in your diet because it prevents cancer. That is why I always eat two walnuts per day.’
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Really? I say. ‘This is a new era,’ he continues. ‘Before we were just barbarians. We grabbed food, we swallowed it, we chewed it up, we defecated. Food is something that connects us to the world around us, but more than that, it puts us in contact with the land, the soul, our health… but we need to re-learn how to eat food better.’
I have a quick sip of the fresh mint tea I have beside the notebook into which I’m scribbling and remember the question I had put to him: I’d asked him if I could pour him some tea. But the man is off. Running with the ideas in his mind, pouring out his thoughts.
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William Sitwell struggles to get a word in edgeways with French chef and master chatterbox Raymond Blanc, but no matter. You can read the full interview online tomorrow, and find out Blanc’s views on obesity, apple parentage, Jamie Oliver and everything in between.
Illustration by Rebecca Buckland
