Raymond Blanc pays tribute to King as ‘true champion of natural world’

Raymond Blanc has paid tribute to the King as a “true champion for the natural world” ahead of a visit to his Gloucestershire home.

The renowned chef made the comments during an announcement that he has become an ambassador for the King’s Foundation.

He will join attendees at a Winter Warmers event, an initiative to tackle social isolation, at Highgrove’s Orchard Room on Wednesday.

Blanc has created a menu of vegetable soup, baguette and lemon cake for the day, which will see the local community welcomed into the space for lunch, games and companionship.

Those attending on Wednesday are from the Churn Project, which supports more than 2,000 people each year in Cirencester and nearby villages.

“The King is a true champion for the natural world and I have seen first-hand how his foundation works tirelessly to bring his vision to life.

“It has been an honour to work in partnership with the team at Highgrove to create this special menu for the local community today and I look forward to continuing to work together on training and development opportunities for students and staff alike.”

The menu created for Wednesday is:

– Vegetable and pistou soup

– Traditional baguette from Le Manoir

– Raymond Blanc’s lemon cake

The King’s Foundation is planning to work with Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, in Oxfordshire, to offer training and development opportunities for students and staff at Dumfries House and Highgrove Gardens.

Founded in 1990 by Charles as Prince of Wales, the charity aims to build communities and transform lives through its practical education programmes in food, farming and horticulture.

It has been custodian of Highgrove gardens since 2021, with the Winter Warmers initiative introduced in 2023 to combat social isolation in the local community during the winter months.

The events, which run between January and March, include activities such as craft, board games and knitting.

Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King’s Foundation, said: “We are delighted to welcome Raymond as an ambassador for The King’s Foundation.

“Like His Majesty, Raymond’s approach to prioritising organic and sustainable food production was ahead of its time.

“We are thrilled our students and staff will have the opportunity to benefit from his experience and vision through training opportunities at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in the future.”

Last year, Blanc worked with The King’s Foundation on an ITV series entitled Raymond Blanc’s Royal Kitchen Gardens.

This was filmed at properties managed by the charity, including Highgrove Gardens, Dumfries House in East Ayrshire and the Castle of Mey in Caithness, Highlands.

Raymond Blanc joins existing King’s Foundation ambassadors including David Beckham, Sienna Miller, Alan Titchmarsh, Sarah Beeny, Patrick Grant, George Clarke and Jools Holland.