Celebrating Gardens

Raymond Blanc, one of the UK’s most respected chefs, is known for his passion for edible heritage gardens and sustainability. He tells us what he thinks of Singapore’s local produce.

- Amy Van

South-east Asia has greatly influenced Raymond Blanc’s cuisine since the chef patron of two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford, the UK, first visited this region about 28 years ago.

“I am a Frenchman, I know who I am. But I am a better Frenchman now, as my cuisine has embraced and opened up all sort of windows to different cultures, flavours, colours and textures. South-east Asia’s spices, lime leaves, ginger, lemongrass – these beautiful flavours and textures have enriched my cuisine,” enthused the chef, who came to Singapore to prepare a one-of-a-kind feast – a surprise treat for the gardeners who work at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG) – in November last year.

GARDEN-FRESH EXPERIENCE 

The historic black-and-white Burkill Hall at Singapore’s first Unesco World Heritage Site was set up for the unique dinner by Blanc and his team, who had flown in courtesy of Kenwood. Blanc is the brand ambassador for Kenwood’s Titanium series (to be launched in Singapore in 2017), and he has been actively involved in the evaluation of several of Kenwood’s appliances during their research and development stages. The dinner’s Garden.To Plate theme was inspired by Blanc’s book, Kew on a Plate, and his work at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, the UK.