Is This The UK’s Best Cookery Course?

Whether you’re a keen beginner or you’re dreaming of Great British Menu fame, there’s a Le Manoir cookery course you’ll love. Martha Davies dons her apron and checks out the Raymond Blanc Cookery School – with her family in tow.

Review: The Raymond Blanc Cookery School At Le Manoir

Anyone who knows Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons will know that its every element is designed to celebrate the seasons. (It’s in the name, after all.) It felt fitting, then, to arrive on what turned out to be the first true day of spring: dazzling blue skies, a soft breeze, sunshine that melted like butter on the Cotswold stone. As I strolled down the iconic lavender path to the hotel lobby, the kitchen garden stretched out beside me like a promise. This, after all, is the beating heart of Le Manoir, and the foundation of the renowned Raymond Blanc Cookery School.

Photo by Mary Quincy

It was also the reason I found myself at Le Manoir on that glorious morning: to take part – along with my mother and grandmother – in the Maman Blanc cookery course. There are more than 20 courses to choose from, spanning just about every gastronomic component you can imagine: bread, seafood, sauces and souffles; vegan recipes; macarons, chocolate and patisserie. There’s even a summer dinner party edition and a barbecue course, plus an entire baking programme designed by lauded French pastry chef Benoit Blin. (For children, meanwhile, there’s the Young Chefs’ Academy.) 

Every course is led by chefs trained by Raymond himself; most include at least a handful of his favourite dishes, while the Maman Blanc course centres on recipes passed down from his mother. That three generations of my own family were about to experience it felt particularly magical – and, as it turned out, the day was one for the books.

After a quick stop for tea, coffee and pastries in the main house with the three other participants on our course, we were given a tour of the cookery school by Mikey, our leader for the day. With more than 20 years of experience working alongside Raymond, Mikey had plenty of culinary wisdom to impart, and he shared more than a few fascinating anecdotes as he and his colleague Becca set up the test kitchen for the day ahead. 

The outline of the course was simple: beginning at 9:30am and finishing up by late afternoon, we would learn two soup recipes, a main course, a terrine dish, and two desserts. Recipes for each were laid out in a booklet in which we could make notes throughout the day, and we were also provided with a rather handsome notebook containing more tips and tricks. (My mother and grandmother were thrilled to find out that we had been given our very own aprons, too.)

We began with a classic: French onion soup. Between wonderful stories about Raymond’s life, his culinary journey, and the history of Le Manoir, Mikey conducted a masterclass in caramelising onions – after 45 minutes, they were golden, fragrant and delightfully sweet – while simultaneously preparing the dough for our brioche dish and the meat for the terrine. It might have felt confusing to jump from onions to yeast and pork, a sizzling pan to a food processor, but this, after all, is the beauty of a chef’s kitchen, and everything unfolded under Mikey’s expert guidance and careful explanations. By mid morning, we were tucking into the finished onion soup (topped with a lavish helping of comte cheese and a few hunks of grilled sourdough) and the brioche had been deposited in the proving drawer.

Photo by Paul Wilkinson

While the onion soup was a labour of love, our second soup felt like a magic trick. It was produced simply by sweating down a handful of fresh vegetables (plucked straight from Le Manoir’s kitchen garden), adding a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and simmering in water. Raymond’s mother loved to finish the dish with cherry tomatoes and chervil, but Mikey had another trick up his sleeve: a vibrant French pesto (known as pistou) which he threw together by blending blanched basil with garlic, salt and olive oil. In less than half an hour, we had all cooked up a dish that felt at once wonderfully hearty and dazzlingly simple – a sure staple at any future dinner party. 

As I polished off two bowls of soup, I marvelled at how much I had learned in the space of a single morning. I began to realise that what makes these courses so special isn’t just the food you cook and the incredible chefs that guide you, but all of the little lessons in between: as Mikey cleared away his chopping board and checked on the brioche, he gave us tips on growing herbs, boiling off wine for soups and sauces, and how best to store parmesan cheese (in the freezer, apparently). It seems that just a few hours in the presence of one of Le Manoir’s chefs can infinitely expand your culinary repertoire.

The middle of the day was, naturally, dedicated to sampling everything we had cooked so far: thick slices of terrine; more vegetable soup; and, later, a magnificent chicken dish in a silky sauce made from dried morel mushrooms, sherry, and double cream. (As a rather exciting bonus, we were treated to a wine pairing and an entire basket of Le Manoir’s freshly-baked bread). 

Well and truly stuffed, we dusted off our aprons and got stuck into making caramel from scratch, before taking a short break to explore the gardens. This, certainly, is another highlight of the course: a behind-the-scenes look at the hundreds of fruits, vegetables and herbs grown at Le Manoir, and an insight into what really earns a coveted green Michelin star. Sustainable luxury isn’t just a buzzword here; it’s what Raymond’s entire vision has been built upon from the very beginning.

Back in the kitchen, however, the brioche – an utterly indulgent ‘gateau a la creme’ filled with lemon custard – was finally out of the oven. All that was left to do was to enjoy it: Mikey served up hefty slices that we sampled alongside spoonfuls of glossy creme caramel. As plates were cleared, we reflected on the day, sharing our favourite recipes from the programme and imploring Mikey to give us his final words of wisdom. We had, over the course of the day, been guided through an entire menu, but we had also been given a precious glimpse into the recipes that shaped Raymond himself. Strolling back down that lavender path with my mother and grandmother, I wondered just how much it would shape us, too.

BOOK IT

The Maman Blanc course starts at £395 per person on weekdays and £425 on weekends. C&TH readers can receive 20 percent off any course at The Raymond Blanc Cookery and Gardening School until 31 May by quoting ‘Friends of Le Manoir’ when booking via 01844 278881. belmond.com