When Raymond Blanc and his family gather to celebrate Christmas, they do not sing English carols. And that’s not because they are written in the wrong language, or because anybody is running low on Christmas cheer. Instead, when the award-winning TV chef brings out Christmas pudding, the whole family — all 35 of them — break into a rendition of the UK’s national anthem.
“It is a ritual we do every year,” Blanc says, laughing. “When lunch was almost over I would turn off the lights, flambé my pudding and my whole family would start singing God Save the Queen in very terrible English. It is incredible.”
It’s a tradition that Blanc has continued ever since he discovered his love for traditional Christmas pudding after he moved to Britain in the Seventies — though this year he’ll need to make sure his family are briefed on the latest lyrics. “I have come to absolutely love Christmas pudding — which is rare in France, for people to like English dessert.”
Hannah Evans with Raymond Blanc
KATIE WILSON FOR THE TIMES
Other than singing the national anthem and serving the classic British dessert, the Christmases of Blanc’s earlier years, in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France, were as French as you could get. They started with escargot “reeking of garlic” and then moved on to crudités, before having a roast chicken, followed by cheese and endless salads. “We’d have a big fat juicy capon,” Blanc says. “Beef and turkey were far too English.”
The only clue that Blanc had been anglicised was the addition of the Christmas pudding. “I would make two every year to bring home to my mother at Christmas,” he says. “I would get out of the car and the first thing she would do would be to run to the door and shout, ‘Raymond! Do you have the Christmas pudding?’ ”
This year Blanc will be spending Christmas at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, his magical manor and two-Michelin-star restaurant in Oxfordshire. It will be his third Christmas without his mother, Maman Blanc, who used to host each year. She died in 2020 aged 97. “It’s just not the same now she’s gone. The house is sold and she’s not here any more,” he says, eyes glistening. “I miss her every day.”
This year he plans to keep his feet firmly up as he enjoys a very British Christmas. Waking up at 7am he’ll start the day with a full English. “I’m sorry to the vegans, but I will have black pudding and the most crispy streaky bacon.”
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At 11am he and the managers will serve a Christmas turkey lunch to all the staff, before his thoughts turn to his own plate. “Every Frenchman knows that when the clock strikes 1pm their stomach will start to rumble.”
The part of Christmas that Blanc looks forward to with the most glee actually happened last week. At a carol service for guests hosted at St Mary the Virgin, the church next door to Le Manoir, Blanc read his favourite poem, Goodwill to Men by Pam Ayres. “It’s all about stuffing ourselves at Christmas; how it’s a time to enjoy yourself and not hold back,” he says, laughing. “I love it. It’s exactly what Christmas is about.”
Raymond Blanc’s top yuletide tips1. Kick off Christmas lunch with crudités
My favourite way to begin a roast is with an hors d’oeuvre of crudités. It’s a very important part of the meal in France. Every Sunday when I was a child my mother would transform the vegetables my father grew in the garden into this crunchy, colourful celebration. It’s very simple. Peel and finely slice or grate celeriac and carrots into long strips. Top and tail a handful of green beans and blanche them for two minutes. Slice up cucumber, tomatoes and celery. Make a simple honey and mustard dressing and dress the vegetables. Arrange them on a bed of lettuce and top with a few boiled eggs cut in half.
2. Never, ever serve gravy
Why people buy horrible gravy with all sorts of chemicals when they can make a beautiful jus is beyond me. My mother would never use Bisto. To make the perfect jus, ask your butcher to give you some turkey bones, or take them from the bird you have at home. Chop these up and put them underneath your turkey. As it roasts, those bones will roast too. Once your turkey is cooked, leave it to rest for an hour on the bones. All the juices will come out. Remove the turkey and deglaze those juices over a low heat with two glasses of water. That’s it. You do not need to thicken it. The emulsion of the fat from the bird and the juices will create the most fantastic jus that will knock your guests off their chair with amazement.
3. Duck fat, duck fat, duck fat
At Le Manoir, my protégé of 19 years, Adam Johnson, taught me everything I know about the English art of roast potatoes. His recipe has been passed down through the family. Adam and I have found that the best variety for fluffy roast potatoes is from Lincolnshire, also known as King Edward potatoes. Once you’ve washed and peeled them, chop the potatoes into quarters and parboil them for no more than ten minutes. Then comes the most important part: you ruffle them. I love the world ruffle. Use a sieve or a colander for this. The little holes will catch the top, soft layer of the potato and create those cracks which will go crispy. My vegan friends will hate me but I cannot stress this enough: duck fat is the best fat for roast potatoes. It’s essential to preheat the fat so that it’s melted in the roasting tin before you add the potatoes. It will make the most beautiful tasting roast potatoes.
4. Make potato peel snacks
If you’re preparing your potatoes in advance, don’t throw away your peel. It makes the best aperitif nibbles. Flash fry the peel in about half an inch of oil over a medium heat until they are crispy and golden. It’ll take a few minutes so long as you don’t overcrowd the pan. Pat them dry with kitchen towel and then toss them in a tiny bit of sea salt, rosemary and thyme. You have a beautiful bowl of goodness to serve with your drinks.
Raymond Blanc’s pumpkin soup
KATIE WILSON FOR THE TIMES
5. Always serve a soup course
Soups are so underrated but deserve a place on the menu at Christmas. Pumpkins are in full season now. They are magnificent between December and February. The most tasty pumpkin for soup is Iron Bark [potiron Muscade de Provence], which is large, relatively flat, with brown skin and very pronounced curves. This recipe is very easy and has lots of richness and flavour. A real Frenchman would add a dash of kirsch but you don’t have to.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 small onion
400g pumpkin
2 tbsp unsalted butter
8g sea salt
600ml whole milk
4 tbsp crème fraîche
Ground pepper
Method
1. Start by peeling and finely chopping the onion, removing the outer skin of the pumpkin with a knife and scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Then dice the flesh into small pieces. On medium heat, in a large saucepan with a lid, soften the onions in the butter for approximately 5 min without colouring.
2. Add the diced pumpkin, seasoning and soften for approximately 6-8 min stirring from time to time. The softening with the butter will bring out the sweet flavour of the pumpkin.
3. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 min. If you boil the milk too long it will separate, so cook very gently.
4. Liquidise the soup until it reaches a smooth velvety consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve in a warm soup tureen with a touch of crème fraîche if desired.
6. A cheeseboard isn’t complete without Mont d’Or
As a French chef in England, my Christmas cheeseboard is a mix of both British and French cheeses. I like an Oxford blue, a wonderful mature stilton, and a great cheddar. But of course I will also have Comté, which is from my region in France. For a truly decadent Christmas I will have a whole wheel of Vacherin Mont d’Or, which is also from that area. This part of France is full of pine forests, which means the cows eat some extraordinary food and a huge variety of herbs and flowers. The cheese from those cows is then wrapped in pine and matured, giving it a wonderful flavour.
As an opinionated Frenchman, those small crackers British people serve with cheese didn’t attract me at first. It was all about the bread, but now I don’t mind them. Rye biscuits are the best for cheese because they are lovely and very crispy.
Raymond Blanc’s Audemus Pink Pepper Gin
KATIE WILSON FOR THE TIMES
7. Make your cocktails longer at Christmas
I enjoy a drink at Christmas but you don’t want to be inebriated. I prefer to top my negroni with a splash of soda to lengthen the drink and make it last longer. As you will see from this recipe you can make small tweaks to put a Christmas stamp on it. I like Audemus Pink Pepper Gin, which is French and has botanicals of pink peppercorns and tonka beans that give it a unique flavour. For the vermouth, I like a 50:50 blend of full-bodied Italian vermouth from Carpano, and a slightly more herbaceous French vermouth from Dolin.
Serves 1
Add 30ml gin, 20ml campari, 20ml sweet vermouth and 10ml Dubonnet to a glass with ice and stir for 10 seconds. Strain over a glass and garnish with a twist of orange or slice of dehydrated orange. Add a splash of soda water. Serve.
8. Your brandy butter must be ice cold
There are only two things to serve with Christmas pudding: either nothing or brandy butter. The latter is the best thing, which you can make yourself easily. Whisk together 200g butter, 175g icing sugar and a few tablespoons of good quality cognac. The most important thing is that the butter is ice cold when you serve it. Consider putting it in the freezer before serving. Imagine the warm Christmas pudding that has been steaming for three hours with ice cold butter. It’s a feast of flavours and textures.
Raymond Blanc’s pear almondine
KATIE WILSON FOR THE TIMES
9. If you don’t like Christmas pudding, my pear almondine is perfect
This is a great looking tart and, dusted with icing sugar, it’s festive too. My almondine isn’t just simple, it’s buttery and delicious and is my favourite dessert at this time of year after Christmas pudding.
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 pear halves, tinned or jarred
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing the tin
100g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium egg (preferably organic or free-range)
To serve
A handful of flaked almonds (for extra flavour, first toast them in a dry pan)
Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Butter (or oil) a tart ring, about 18cm x 2cm. Cut a long strip of greaseproof paper to stick to the inside. Place the lined tart ring on a lined baking tray or baking stone.
2. Drain the pears and slice them in half again if they are large.
3. In a large bowl, mix the softened butter and sugar. Then add ground almonds, cornflour, vanilla and egg, and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, spreading it evenly. Arrange the pear halves evenly around the outside of the tart, resting them on top of the almond sponge mixture, and with the tip of each half meeting in the middle. According to size of the pears, you may require the base of half a pear to fill a space in the centre. Scatter with almonds.
4. Bake the tart on the middle shelf of the oven, on the preheated baking stone or baking tray, for 20-25 min, or until golden. Leave the cake to cool for a few minutes before removing it from the ring. Before serving, dust with icing sugar.
10. No cheap chocolates!
I will make very simple truffles from just chocolate, cream and cocoa powder. It’s much nicer than the sweet nasty chocolate that’s full of chemicals and emulsifiers. If ever there is a time for proper chocolate, it’s on Christmas Day. Melt a 300g bar of dark organic chocolate. I like about 70 per cent. Heat 300ml of whipping cream until it boils and then remove from the heat. Whisk the boiled cream slowly into the melted chocolate and you will end up with a silky smooth mixture. Leave to cool and then pour the mixture in a tray lined with baking paper and put it in the fridge to set. Cut out little squares and roll them into balls. Then roll in the cocoa powder. Or you could try finely chopped pistachios or desiccated coconut.
11. Popcorn is a perfect party snack
I make my own wonderful popcorn to nibble on in between meals or with a glass of champagne. Corn is sweet enough so there’s no need to add sugar. My favourite flavouring is rosemary and parmesan. Heat a glug of vegetable oil in a saucepan, add the corn kernels and cover with a lid. Once popped, transfer to a bowl and pour over a knob of melted butter, a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan and leaves of a few sprigs of rosemary. Toss in a couple of pinches of sea salt and serve while it’s still warm.
12. Turn your leftovers into Maman’s Pain de Viande
There are hundreds of things you can with leftovers, but the best are the easy recipes like the bread of meat [aka meat loaf] my mother would make. She’d serve it with a simple tomato sauce and purée potato. The meat would be so juicy and delicious. Firstly remove all your leftover turkey or beef — or both — meat off the bone and either shred it or chop it up and grind it. Mix in one beaten egg per 200g of meat, and 100ml of milk. Add your herbs like parsley, tarragon and chopped garlic and season. Shape it into a loaf and bake it in an oven for 40 min until cooked.
For more recipes, see: raymondblanc.com