Raymond Blanc recalls hours in kitchen garden with ‘brother in arms’ King

Raymond Blanc has described spending hours in his kitchen garden in the pouring rain with the King, saying he felt they were “brothers in arms”.

The renowned chef visited Charles’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire to serve a two-course lunch of his classic vegetable pistou soup with baguette, followed by lemon cake, to charity guests.

He joined people from The Churn Project, which supports about 2,000 people each year in Cirencester and nearby villages, for the meal – delighting guests by heaping generous servings of parmesan cheese on to their bowls.

Chef Raymond Blanc attends a Winter Warmers session in the Orchard Room at Highgrove Gardens on the King’s estate in Tetbury, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall

Before the food was served, Blanc was cheered by attendees as he gave a speech to announce that he has become an ambassador for The King’s Foundation.

As part of this, his restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, in Oxfordshire, will offer training opportunities for students and staff at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire and Highgrove Gardens.

In a speech to the room, Blanc described himself as a “French republican” but said he was honoured to become an ambassador for the King’s charity, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

He said: “It is so wonderful what The King’s Foundation has achieved. I am very happy and honoured as a Frenchman, a French republican, to be an ambassador, to serve the cause.

“We want to create lots of engagement between our gardens, an exchange of skills. I certainly would love to consider doing a garden cookery school.”

Raymond Blanc in the Orchard Room at Highgrove Gardens on the King’s estate in Tetbury (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall

He paid tribute to his mother and father, who instilled in him a culture of growing food and not wasting anything.

The chef said guests were enjoying Maman Blanc’s soup, which uses water instead of stock as she loved “simplicity”.

“In that bowl of soup, the peas, the broad beans, the celery, the potatoes, the carrot, all the herbs are going to give the flavour,” he explained.

“You will see the freshness of that soup and you will have a big smile on your face.”

Blanc added that he had been making the lemon cake for 40 years and serves it to guests at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons along with a glass of champagne.

Chef Raymond Blanc in the Orchard Room at Highgrove Gardens (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall

“It is always about simplicity and deliciousness,” he said.

Blanc said The King’s Foundation had achieved much in bringing communities together, empowering young people and passing on knowledge across the world.

He added that it worked to “really make people aware of the connection between agriculture, food, health, nutrition and giving young people an opportunity”.

The chef described a previous visit to Highgrove in which he told Charles that he “loved” the gardens there and invited the King to his own at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons as it was “at least as good”.

“He came for three hours and it was raining cats and dogs,” Blanc said.

Raymond Blanc has become an ambassador for The King’s Foundation (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall

“He spent three hours in the pelting rain asking endless questions and I felt he was a brother in arms.”

The guests were attending a Winter Warmers event, an initiative by The King’s Foundation to tackle social isolation, at Highgrove’s Orchard Room on Wednesday.

They were served:

– Vegetable and pistou soup
– Traditional baguette from Le Manoir
– Raymond Blanc’s lemon cake

In a statement ahead of the event, Blanc said: “The King is a true champion for the natural world and I have seen first-hand how his foundation works tirelessly to bring his vision to life.”

Kim Kimbrell, ageing well co-ordinator at The Churn Project, said the 60 guests were “so excited” to be at Highgrove and to meet Blanc.

Raymond Blanc at the King’s estate in Tetbury, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall

“They shouted and cheered when he came out, they were so excited and didn’t know it was happening,” she said.

“We are so very lucky to be here and it was the icing on the cake.

“This event shows how important our work is. For some of our people here, some weeks they don’t see anybody.

“Being able to be part of the Churn Project and to have beautiful opportunities like this, there are smiles all round.”

The King’s Foundation has been custodian of Highgrove Gardens since 2021, with the Winter Warmers initiative introduced in 2023 to combat social isolation in the local community during the winter months.

The events, which run between January and March, include activities such as crafts, board games and knitting.

Chef Raymond Blanc curated a special menu (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall

Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King’s Foundation, said: “We are delighted to welcome Raymond as an ambassador for The King’s Foundation.

“Like His Majesty, Raymond’s approach to prioritising organic and sustainable food production was ahead of its time.

“We are thrilled our students and staff will have the opportunity to benefit from his experience and vision through training opportunities at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in the future.”

Last year, Blanc worked with The King’s Foundation on an ITV series entitled Raymond Blanc’s Royal Kitchen Gardens.

This was filmed at properties managed by the charity, including Highgrove Gardens, Dumfries House in East Ayrshire and the Castle of Mey in Caithness, Highlands.

Blanc joins existing King’s Foundation ambassadors including David Beckham, Sienna Miller, Alan Titchmarsh, Sarah Beeny, Patrick Grant, George Clarke and Jools Holland.