Express & Star

Michel Roux Jnr talks ahead of the Good Food Show in Birmingham

He’s one of the most recognisable chefs on telly, now Michel Roux Jr is bringing his expertise to Brum. Here he talks food, family and football. . .

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Michel Jr enjoys footie and fitness in his spare time

They cook for many millions on some of the nation’s favourite TV programmes. Stars such as Tom Kerridge, Michel Roux Jr, Nadiya Hussain, Hairy Bikers, Mary Berry, Raymond Blanc, James Martin and Tom Aikens are familiar faces on BBC shows – whether they’re telling us how to bake the perfect cake or whip up an omelette in 10 seconds flat.

Michel Jr will be cooking in the show’s Big Kitchen

From November 30 to December 3, they will converge on Birmingham’s NEC for the BBC Good Food Show to demonstrate their skills. Their performances will be among many highlights at the annual show, which will also include Camra’s Great British Beer Experience, The Whisky Lounge Blending Lab, shopping areas, book signings and the chance to meet artisan producers – or browse stands to pick up food on the go.

One of the show’s biggest stars is Michel Roux Jr, the two Michelin star chef-patron of Le Gavroche, in London, and whose father, Albert, and uncle, Michel, helped revolutionise gastronomy in the UK. Albert and Michel were described as being the culiary equivalent of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones as they launched the three Michelin star Waterside Inn and two Michelin star Le Gavroche, which are now owned and run by their respective sons, Michel Jr and Alain.

Michel Jr has forged an impressive TV career during the past decade after appearing with his friend, Gordon Ramsay, on Hell’s Kitchen and working as a judge from 2008-13 on MasterChef: The Professionals. He has featured on numerous other shows, including BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, and was tipped as a full-time replacement for former host James Martin, though ruled himself out because of other commitments.

Cheers – customers can sample quality produce

Michel Jr is looking forward to appearing in Birmingham and experiencing the magic of the Second City as the countdown to Christmas begins. “The Good Food Show at Birmingham in winter is almost like a Christmas event. It’s the last few days of November and everyone is gearing up to that Christmas feel. It’s a magical show. There’ll be lots of demonstrations and I’ll be cooking very seasonal produce and stuff that keeps you nice and warm: a rich sauce and good, proper French cooking.

“But the show is about more than just demonstrations. There’ll be lots of independent producers and that’s great because they need a platform. We should be boasting about Great British produce. Giorgio Locatelli is coming back and he’s not been there for a long time, so I’m looking forward to that.

Meet and greet – James with a couple of fans

“And I’m also looking forward to seeing some of the British producers. It’s wonderful to see all these independent artisans. Their produce is exceptional and very often people can pick it up in food markets and farmers markets. Alternatively, they can come along to the show at the NEC: just rock up and get a good taste. Provenance is so important and if you can buy local and encourage that you should.”

Michel Jr is a fan of Birmingham and gets on well with one of the city’s best-known chefs, Glynn Purnell. Glynn has become a regular on Saturday Kitchen and has also featured at the BBC Good Food Show. Most recently, he presented 40-episode TV series for Channel 4. Michel Jr is a fan of the Yummy Brummie.

“I love Glynn. He’s a terrific guy and a fantastic chef. His food is very unique and that’s what I really like about him. His food is based on great sound cooking but he brings in a little twist at the end there, it’s really exciting food.”

Glynn isn’t the only chef in Birmingham who has Michel Jr’s admiration. Luke Tipping, at Simpsons, who has maintained a Michelin star for the city since the Millennium, is another who impresses.

On yer bike – The Hairy Bikers will share top tips

“Luke is great. Simpsons is the flagship for Birmingham and Luke’s carried on the great work there for many years. He’s not as noisy as Glynn but what he cooks is sublime and he’s a true gentleman.”

Michel Jr is continuing a remarkable culinary lineage by following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. They revolutionised British cooking, taking it from the dark ages to an era of unparalleled excellence. Their business empire transformed culinary fortunes and helped inspire a new generation of chefs. Albert and Michel Snr are widely acclaimed as being the most important figures in British food and Michel Jr is well aware of their influence.

“It’s difficult for me to talk about that because it’s family. But when I think back it’s extraordinary how the food scene has changed over the last 50 years. My father and uncle opened Le Gavroche in 1967. They were pioneers and so many young chefs and front of house have come through the ranks and been trained and inspired by the Roux family. It’s something special. My father and uncle will go down in history, there’s no doubt. But for me, it was important to train away from the family business when I began my career and so I went to work in Paris. To train within the family would have been wrong. I needed to prove myself outside the family circle.”

Queen of cakes – Mary Berry will be at the show

That training took him to work with Master Patissier, Hellegouarche, in the French capital. He worked as a commis de cuisine at Le Gavroche, from summer 1979 until January 1980, under both his father and uncle. He then went to Mionnay, in the Rhone-Alpes region, near Lyon, for two years to work in a different restaurant. He subsequently completed basic training with the French army before working for both Presidents Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. Having finished his military service, Michel Jr then worked for four months in Paris: two months at Charcuterie Gérard Mothu in St-Mandé; and then two months at Boucherie Lamartine on the Avenue Victor-Hugo. He subsequently worked for Pierre Koffman, in Chelsea, and at the Mandarin Hotel, in Hong Kong, before returning to the family fold.

Michel Jr has been at the helm of Le Gavroche for even longer than his father, Albert. And he is proud to have taken the venue, in Lower Sloane Street, to its 50th year. “The restaurant means so much to so many people. It has a worldwide reputation. But its standards are built each and every day: you are only as good as the last plate of food you’ve sent out.

“Running the restaurant is something that I enjoy and every day is a different day. I wouldn’t do anything other than being involved. Customers, for me are the highlight. It’s all about seeing people with a big smile on their face and a full tummy. That’s what keeps me happy. We try to promote British producers wherever possible.”

Michel Jr is keeping the family business going and his own daughter, Emily, is the next in line. Michel Jr’s wife, Giselle, is the secretary at Le Gavroche and Emily is forging a career as a chef. She may one day take over from her father. “From a very young age, she wanted to be a chef. I didn’t push her into it. She’s a very gifted and talented chef. She’ll be a huge hit. I have great pride and joy in watching my daughter cook. Just watch this space . . . In terms of potential, I can honestly say she’s very talented yet she’s still only 26. She’s got a lot to learn, as have I at 57. But she’s a very clever cook and has an exceptional palate.”

When Michel Jr isn’t busy at the pass, he immerses himself in his many hobbies. He has a vast collection of cookery books, he is a big rugby fan and an honorary member of Harlequins and he is also a devoted Manchester United follower. He also runs marathons and has on 12 occasions run the London Marathon in aid of the charity VICTA – Visually Impaired Children Taking Action. He chose that charity after experiencing vision loss to due to retinal detachment in 2004 and 2007, which was rectified by medical intervention.

“I’ve got a real passion for cook books and have quite a collection. It is really comforting for me to look at old books. You get inspiration from them and when reading old books you realise we haven’t re-invented the wheel. There’s a lot of dishes from the past that are still on the table today. Those who know their food will recognise them at Le Gavroche because we don’t like gimmicks. Good food doesn’t need to be dressed up and fancied up.

“You are quite right that I love Manchester United and I have an Eric Cantona shirt. This season is going to be a good one and an interesting one. I’m speaking with a big smile on my face. I’m quite content at the moment, we are finally playing with the flair that United should have. We are exciting, there are goals and we are attacking. Mourinho wouldn’t have been my first choice but he’s proving me wrong. It is difficult to be the manager of Manchester United because of the achievements of Sir Alex. I don’t think there’ll ever be another Sir Alex, who will spend that amount of time and win that many trophies and reinvent team after team. He was a true legend.”

Michel Jr enjoys footie and fitness in his spare time

When he’s not watching Manchester United or enjoying rugby at Harlequins, he hits the road to run. Michel Jr, like Gordon Ramsay, is one of the best known chef-runners in the UK and keeps lean and fit by pounding the roads and parks of London during the late afternoons.

“And running keeps my body fit but more important for me, it keeps my mind fit. It’s a great way to escape. Running lets me get out of the stress-laden environment that you have when you are running a restaurant. I don’t run with music. I go after lunch and before dinner.”

Michel Jr has inspired many cooks. A number of exceptional chefs have trained under him and passed through the doors of Le Gavroche. Among those who have worked with him or Albert are Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Bryn Williams, Michael Smith and Monica Galetti. They have themselves been enormously influential, opening businesses, inspiring others, publishing books and carving out their own niche.

And so he was hurt when the restaurant was criticised last year for allegedly paying less than the minimum wage. The situation arose because many chefs choose to work longer hours, so that they could improve their skills. Though he changed chef’s salaries and reduced hours to ward off the controversy, even though many chefs were choosing to work longer hours because it helped them. Michel Jr was disappointed that many missed the point – that chefs wanted to work in the best kitchens so that they could then go on to open their own restaurant or win one of the industry’s best jobs.

“It isn’t necessarily important to work with a high profile name but it is important to learn the classics and I don’t mean recipes, I mean techniques. That’s the foundation. Once you’ve mastered that you can be far more creative with confidence. But you need that to establish yourself.”

Michel Jr is optimistic for the future. The UK has more great restaurants than ever before and there are numerous rising stars. And it all began at Le Gavroche. The restaurant was the first in the UK to receive a Michelin star, in 1974, and it was also the first in the UK to receive two Michelin stars, in 1977. In 1982, it achieved three Michelin stars, dropping one of those in 1993 when Michel Jr took over from his father. Michel Jr is sanguine about the loss of the third star and believes his food isn’t of the style that would suit that status.

However, he is delighted that the UK is a global centre of gastronomic excellence and is looking forward to visiting Birmingham to celebrate that at the Good Food Show.

“In the UK, we are so lucky now to have fantastic places to eat. It’s not just Londoncentric, people could eat out in Birmingham, for instance, which is truly an up-and-coming food destination. I don’t get much time to explore Birmingham when we’re doing The Good Food Show because I’m in and out and focusing on the show, but I know that it’s a great city.”

We need to strip away food snobbery, says Tom

Returning to the Midlands is a joy for two star Michelin chef Tom Kerridge. The chef-owner of The Hand and Flowers, at Marlow, changed the game for great restaurants when he won his second Michelin star in 2012. It was the first time a pub had done so.

Tom, who presents Food and Drink and has frequently featured on Great British Menu, MasterChef and Saturday Kitchen, returns for the BBC Good Food Show, which takes place twice a year at Birmingham’s NEC.

He’s one of the star attractions on the demonstrations stage.

“I do enjoy it in the West Midlands. Mum is from Birmingham and I have family from Stourbridge and Kidderminster. I was there when I was younger, quite a bit. I remember quite a few bits of it, especially the Bullring and going to watch cricket at Edgbaston. I’d watch Warwickshire play as well as seeing test matches.”

Tom Kerridge

Tom is a fan of the BBC Good Food Shows. “It’s always good fun. The venue is fantastic but it’s great that everything is under one roof. There’s a vibe and a buzz. Whether it’s winter or summer, the crowds thoroughly enjoy it. The shows really do help to promote food history and heritage and people. The producers get to tell their stories and that’s what the crowds want, not faceless supermarkets. They want to know where food is from.”

Tom has plenty of mates among the chef demonstration line-up and looks forward to catching up.

“We’re very lucky. Once you’re in that food scene everyone’s really good friends and knows each other really well. We all play small little parts in moving it forward. Whether it’s Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood or myself, there’s always somebody that people know.”

Tom has become popular because his food is honest. There’s no fuss and no smoke and mirrors – he serves delicious food to the highest standard.

“We take away the faff and the pretentiousness about food. The more you strip it back, the more you realise it’s all about the farmer and the animal or the vegetable. That’s everything. It’s important to use all parts of the animal: a fillet is amazing, but that animal also has a shin, oxtail and cheek, which are just as enjoyable if you cook them correctly.”

Tom says building relationships within food is key: whether those are between restaurant and guest or chef and producer.

Relationships

“Everything is built on relationships. It doesn’t’ matter what business you’re in. All great businesses are built on relationships. The food industry is no different.”

As well as being a star of TV and the BBC Good Food Show, Tom is also a best-selling author. His Dopamine Diet book remains popular, and explains how people can eat ‘happy’ food to lose weight.

“I went on my own mission with that, I wasn’t planning to write a book. I needed to change and lose weight and I had people asking me how I did it once I’d shifted the weight. So I decided to write a book. My plan was that if it helped one or two people I’d be happy – but it’s helped an awful lot more than that. I did the weight over two or three years. The book wasn’t on purpose. It’s about the food you like to eat and having the right mindset.”

Birmingham not only provides him with happy memories of childhood – it also puts him among friends and great food.

“Brummies are a lovely bunch and the Birmingham food scene is massive. It was a desert 20 years ago but now it’s all brilliant chefs and long may that continue.”