The France Show 2008
The UK’s largest celebration of French property, culture, food and travel – The France Show 2008 – is being organised by Archant Life in January. Read the thoughts of top chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.
The France Show 2008 is taking place from January 18-20 at London Olympia and the star attraction is the Michelin and 5AA Rosette award-winning chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli. Here he talks to Stephanie Sheldrake about how he became a chef, why he loves England, and why people should visit The France Show.
How important is it for us to have The France Show?
More and more British people choose to live in France and I think it’s great – I love that! Because France is so vast, there is so much to discover, and it’s constantly developing. In a way, France is like several countries in one and The France Show delivers a ‘tour of France’ to your doorstep.
What I think is nice is that there is a great ambience and everybody’s welcome. Everybody who goes to the show will get something out of it.
Plus there will be my cookery theatre where I will be running an amazing show which will not just be a demonstration – it will be exactly what I do in my Academy Cookery School.
What’s your favourite British dish?
There are many but the one I like the most is sticky toffee pudding – some people indulge with chocolate but I buy sticky toffee pudding. I also love Stilton on freshly baked bread.
Which British celebrity chefs do you admire/ inspired you?
Keith Floyd will always be my hero, my mentor. I also think that Marco Pierre White is amazing. They are both outstanding.
What do you make of Britain’s fast-food culture and the rise of obesity?
Actually I think things are getting far better. There are still some people who don’t want to make an effort (for example, instead of using sea salt they use table salt which is full of sodium, or they eat refined sugar). There is an enormous amount of people who are very conscious about what they eat, and there are more organic farmers and more markets. I don’t think it’s as bad as the media makes out.
Do you think that many French people hold the view that British food is rubbish?
I don’t know. It would be interesting to ask the French people who say this, ‘have you been to Britain?’ and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear the reaction. I think they probably don’t know what they’re talking about.
What’s your view of restaurant reviewers?
We need them. If you’re doing things well and if you believe in what you do then you should not be worried about anybody. The critics are there to support you. In my 20 years’ experience of having my name on the restaurant door, I have only ever been criticised by Michael Winner.
What do you think of Gordon Ramsay’s hard approach in the kitchen – do you think that approach works?
I think you’ve got to be firm and highly disciplined – there’s nothing wrong with that. Nobody ever complained about the army! It’s about expression, a sense of urgency and using your five senses all at one time. I think because the job is enormous – you have to improvise, you have to be on time and you have to deal with extremes of temperature. It’s very tough; you’ve got to be physically fit and mentally open. I think that whoever is the leader has to have a firm grip of the operation.
What do you think of the way Gordon talks about Marco Pierre White?
I don’t really remember what’s happening between those two and frankly I’m not interested. The three of us were close friends many years ago. Things are different now due to the fact we’re all very busy and we have different opinions – that’s what happens when you get older. I don’t want to say anything bad about them – I respect them both. We had a good time 18 years ago and both are doing very well. You’ve got to salute the both of them. When you think, cooking is only cooking – a chef is only a chef. It shouldn’t be a big deal. If they don’t get on I think it’s sad because life is too short. Anything to do with food should be about fun and nothing else.
What about the future?
My new book, Everyday Novelli, is coming out in February; it’s full of fantastic, easy-to-follow recipes. I have also been invited back to L.A. in the United States for two months next year as I’m not known out there yet.
For further information about Jean-Christophe Novelli and his cookery academy visit www.jeanchristophenovelli.com.
Tickets for the show are £8 per person per day. To find out more and book tickets, log on to www.thefranceshow.com.
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Top French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.
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