training, leaving us to work at Gidleigh Park with Sue Williams and Michael Caines, both had worked for me here at Le Manoir for many years. Le Manoir is only a building, a place where the most important foundation is the strong vision which drives it and training. Training is at the heart of all what we do whether it is in the kitchen, garden, front of house etc. I want to create a respectable industry where every young person will develop. The greatest pride I have in my job is seeing the apprentice become the master. Every department has a development programme in place and of course the kitchen. Gary has a development program for the kitchen team which is spread over 2.5 years covering not only every section of the kitchen but also training courses to develop their personal skills to become a complete chef. Those chefs staying longer than the 2.5 years then go on to learn the management side of running a kitchen and become seniors within the team and the future head chefs contributing to shaping our industries future. How important is it for young chefs to understand all aspects of the kitchen and each section, and have a structured development plan? It is important for each chef to understand each aspect of the kitchen but also other aspects of the business, such as The Raymond Blanc Cookery School, front of house, which is just as important as the chef in delivery of excellence. My Restaurant Director Mourad Ben Tekfa works very closely with the kitchen team to create harmony between our guests the kitchen and restaurant. It is crucial that each of our team make the most of their time with us, as every one of them are different, we tailor the training and development around the individual. It is a tough industry to work in, intense and demanding but so worthwhile and rewarding we manage fairly, supporting and nurturing the development and skill level of the whole team from the top to the bottom. We make each of them a part of this excellence, if one of us fail we all fail. How long on each section would a young chef spend at Le Manoir? 5-6 months is the ideal time, 2 months learning it, 2 months perfecting it, 1-2 months training and passing on the knowledge. What makes a chef's career different at Le Manoir? Chefs training at Le Manoir exposes them to all aspects of the business, seasonality, regionality, taste, texture, combinations of flavours, variety of ingredients, cooking techniques, organisational skills, interaction with the garden, front of house, The Raymond Blanc Cookery School, Private Dining, presentation, consistency, managing, leading, developing, inspiring, guest focus, recipe writing, food cost, butchery of the whole animal, teamwork, nurturing and coaching. All this and the experience of working in the busiest Michelin star restaurant with the potential to serve 260 guests per day. But mostly they will embrace the culture of detail in all aspects of their career. Here they will learn all the basic skills. Le Manoir is a reflection of a particular vision which should inspire every young chef. Thank you Mr Blanc Thank you! Please don't miss Mr Blanc's Video coming very soon where he cooks one of the Le Manoir classic dishes, plus through the three videos we get an understanding of what training and development chefs in the team of his kitchens receive, and how his knowledge and passion are shared through Gary Jones and Benoit right down to the junior chefs.