BBC Stars in Chef Wear

Galton Blackiston began his cooking career in 1979Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons. A native of France,
selling his homemade biscuits, preserves, and cakes atRaymond moved to Britain in 1972. Since that time he
a stall in Rye market. He was so successful at it thathas been given credit not merely for being witness to
he gave up his plan to become a professionala sea change in Britons' eating habits, but with being a
cricketer, and opted instead for a career in a chef shirt.prime mover in fostering it - putting the emphasis on
He began working at the famous Miller Howe hotel inflavor. He says that he wants to express the beauty
the Lake District, under flamboyant television chef Johnof flavor and texture; even when peeling a carrot, he
Tovey. It was there he met his future wife Tracey,considers how to improve its flavor. This emphasis is
whom he married in 1987. Gradually he worked hisrevealed in his recipes, which provide an original and
way up the ladder to the job of head chef. In theimaginative twist to many classic French recipes.
years that followed he worked in Canada, New York,Raymond was a clockmaker's son, who grew up in
South Africa, and finally London. In 1991 Galton andthe village of Besancon, near Dijon. Before he decided
Tracey restored an eighteenth century brick and flintto don a kitchen apron, he had worked as a nurse and
manor house located by the Morston Marshes inin a factory. When he was twenty-one years old he
Norfolk. Morston Hall has become a Michelin starredwas looking in a restaurant window one day and saw
restaurant and hotel, and is one of the leading countrya chef flambéing a sea bass. That was the
hotels in Britain. Galton was named the 2001 Craftbeginning for him - he walked into the restaurant talked
Guild of Chefs of the UK Chef of the Year; and heto the owner, who hired him as a dishwasher. While
was named the East Anglian Chef of the Year in bothworking his way up to waiter he observed the cooks;
2002 and 2003. In 1992 Galton began sharing his loveand one day he criticized the chef's cooking as bad.
for the produce of Norfolk and his skills in the MorstonHe had a copper pan thrown at him which broke his
Hall kitchen with a biweekly series of cookingjaw and nose. After getting out of the hospital, he
demonstrations; and he filmed a dozen 3-minutelearned of a job at Rose Revived in Newbridge
segments promoting the seasonal produce of NorfolkOxford, and he jumped at the opportunity. He was
for Anglia Television. Galton is fond of saying thatpromoted to chef after a year, and he began working
there is no finer place than Norfolk. He says that realovertime to save enough money to open his own
cooking entails using locally available produce of therestaurant. When he was twenty-eight he opened Les
highest quality in season, and cooking it in as simple aQuat' Saisons, in Oxford, which quickly earned Michelin
manner as possible. What interests him most, he says,stars and many other distinctions. The original Quat'
are simple things which are done well, as opposed toSaisons was renamed Le Maoir aux Quat' Saisons,
complicated things which are done badly. He has twoand was moved to a beautiful small house in the
books to his credit: Cooking at Morston Hall, and Acountry in Great Milton where it now features a
Return to Real Cooking. As representative in chefcookery school as well as restaurant. Raymond is
wear of the Midlands and East, he was one of theplanning to open a second restaurant in Bath.
finalists in the Great British Menu series in 2006 andRaymond's first series for BBC TV in 2007, The
2007. He was also featured in the BBC Two programRestaurant, featured nine couples competing to win
Food Poker in 2007.the opportunity to run a restaurant. His second
Raymond Blanc is the owner and head chef of Letelevision series appeared on BBC Two in 2008.