Luke Selby’s deep friendship with Raymond Blanc is a wonderful example of how classical, traditional food can work beautifully alongside that of a new generation, looking not to radicalise but to contemporise. Selby, aged 33, was born in Saudi Arabia to a Filipino mother and grew up in London with his two brothers, who share successful careers in food, too. Blanc, aged 74, is an early pioneer of garden-to-table food and has served from the helm of Oxford’s iconic Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, for 40 years.
And yet, despite their different backgrounds and a significant age gap, the two men are firm friends. Selby worked for Raymond in his early 20s before going it alone to helm Evelyn’s Table, a small 12-counter cover restaurant in Chinatown, with his brothers. Blanc then tempted him back to Le Manoir for a second time. He now serves as executive head chef alongside Blanc, the founder, creator and chef patron. Their relationship clearly goes beyond those four kitchen walls, and Selby describes Blanc as his “mentor. We are very close, and when I was doing Evelyn’s Table in London, I had fantastic business partners with my brothers; we created a really special restaurant. But then, one day, Raymond came in to eat and asked me if I would be interested in returning to Le Manoir. It wasn’t something I’d ever really considered, but the opportunity presented was amazing.” And, given Selby's accolades, Blanc could clearly see a star in his midst. Selby won Young National Chef of the Year in 2014 and the prestigious Roux Scholarship in 2017, followed by National Chef of the Year in 2018. While Evelyn’s Table was met with critical acclaim, Selby was quickly tempted back to the gastronomic great Le Manoir. “Raymond was offering me the space and team and infrastructure that I craved,” he explains. “I was ready to spread my wings a bit more. Evelyn’s was amazing, but the size was restricted. It was very small in terms of covers and had a tiny kitchen.”
I’m curious as to how he balanced developing the dishes in such a well-established restaurant alongside Blanc. Selby quickly explains that “everything we do is always done with respect and with consideration of Raymond’s history. He’s always been a visionary and wants to stay on top, modernise, and continue to reinvent Le Manoir. He’s very much on this journey of simplicity with the cuisine.” Going back certainly wasn’t a move of career regression, and Selby seized the opportunity to work alongside his friend again: “We have an amazing relationship,” Selby tells me. “He trusts me, and I really value his advice. We work together to reimagine some of the classic dishes, though it’s nice to have my own little bit of influence. He doesn’t restrict me. Our professional relationship is amazing, but Raymond is also a great friend.”
Aside from the food side of things, Selby is also quick to tell me that the experience of working at Le Manoir is one he relishes because “It was a dream of [Raymond’s] for many years to offer a positive work-life balance for his team, to serve as an example to the industry of how it can operate differently at a fine dining level. This is an industry notorious for long hours and bad pay. He has worked hard to make an impact in terms of better working hours for the team and achieve that work-life balance, which I strongly believe he has managed to do.”
When we speak, Selby is horrendously jetlagged, having just returned on a red-eye flight from California, but his manner is delightful, and he tells me all about his mother and his brothers and their deep, innate relationship with food. “My mum is the youngest of 10, and she always lived with the land, even from a very early age. She always encouraged us to forage and grow our own food, and we had various allotments where we lived. One of the things she instilled in us is a deep respect for nature. That respect for nature isn’t a million miles away from the ethos at Le Manoir.” That may explain the natural affinity he and Blanc have for one other. “In some ways, my mother had a very similar childhood to Raymond ‘s, growing up in France as he did, hunting for mushrooms and working the land.” They may have grown up on opposite ends of the world, but “our stories are quite relatable in some respects.” This love of the land is what inspires Luke and it is “natural food, presented in a way that allows ingredients to speak for themselves,” that draws him back to coveted restaurants time and again. As such, he shares five of his favourites around the country that do just that.
The Lamb, Little Milton
“This is a pub up the road from us, and head chef Nat Berney is ex-Le Manoir. He just took over the reins there recently, which is such a great achievement. He’s cooking great, really simple, really delicious classic takes on British food, and he’s got great training and a fantastic food background, too. This is an old, original thatched 16th-century pub, so it’s an amazing space, and I know Nat will take it great places.”
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Who comes here?
“The Lamb is flying onto the radar at the moment, so while It’s definitely got a local pool of guests now, the quality of cooking is of a very high standard; word will definitely spread fast.”
Best table in the restaurant
“You can’t go wrong with a table in the window near the fire on a cold day.”
Best time to go
“I think this is a super cool place for lunch on a Sunday, with really good beers and a nice atmosphere.”
Dish to order
“I had the pork belly with miso to start, which I would highly recommend.”
The Mariners, Rock
“I love going to Cornwall. I go there to fish a couple of times every year. When I’m down on the north coast of Cornwall, I always go to Paul Ainsworth’s The Mariners. It’s another amazing pub serving classic stuff at lunch and dinner, with a fantastic atmosphere. The staff are also brilliant and do high-quality takes on classic British fare.”
Who comes here?
“The Mariners and Paul have massive reputations, so you’ll get people from all over here. And, if you go in summer, all of Cornwall is rammed, so expect big crowds and book while you can.”
Best table in the restaurant
“The outdoor seats on the upper terrace are pretty magical in the summertime.”
Best time to go
“I always try to go in the summer. It’s the best time, particularly if I can get down for the tail end of the bass season. (In the spring, you’ll find me fly fishing for trout when I can). There are guest rooms here, too, though, so it’s worth trying to book in and stay over.”
Dish to order
“They do an amazing prawn sandwich. Oh, and a hotdog called “The Dogs Pollock” because it’s obviously made with Pollock. It is super tasty.”
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L’Enclume, Cartmel
“I had an amazing meal at L’Enclume recently when I went for lunch with Raymond. We had a fantastic experience. It’s really inspirational to see what Simon [Rogan] has built; what he has created up there is just fantastic. It’s real farm-to-table stuff, and it’s great to see his connection with the surroundings and Cumbria all the way through his restaurant, not just on the plate.”
Who comes here?
“Simon pulls in the crowds, so L’Enclume isn’t just loved by Lake District locals.”
Best table in the restaurant
“L’Enclume is beautiful, and we sat in the corner of the dining room next to the kitchen. Normally, when I go out, I love counter dining experiences, but this was wonderful.”
Best time to go
“Go during whatever time of year you love best. The menu is ever-changing and so reflective of what is local and seasonal; it’s another great example of farm and garden-to-table dining.”
Dish to order
“We had the set tasting menu, which I recommend if you are up for it. The standout dish was an amazing scallop potato dish, which was so simple. It was just potato and cheese as a main course, but it was fantastic. I also really enjoyed the monkfish with mushrooms.”
Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac
“Nathan’s restaurants have chosen ingredients that speak for themselves, and that’s what makes a great restaurant for me. It’s something that’s quite hard to achieve because there is a natural tendency to overcomplicate dishes. It takes quite a lot of confidence to be that simple and let flavours speak for themselves. It’s quiet, and I love to eat this kind of food in a relaxed environment.”
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Who comes here?
“Honestly, people come from all over the world to Cornwall to try and eat at any of Nathan’s restaurants.”
Best table in the restaurant
“If you can get in, just take any table they give you!”
Best time to go
“If you really want to go deep with Nathan’s cooking, then book dinner when the only option available is a seafood-tasting menu, and they recommend that you allow three and a half hours to enjoy it.”
Dish to order
“I had the crab tart, which is a signature dish, and then the main course of red mullet with Porthilly sauce and roasted fennel. The red mullet is cut perfectly and placed over the sauce, but it’s that simplicity with perfect execution and perfect flavour combination that makes it so memorable.”
Restaurant Interlude, Horsham
“We recently did a collaboration with the chef here, Jean Delport, who is South African, and the restaurant is set in a beautiful Leonardslee Estate in Sussex. It is a really small, very intimate restaurant. I just loved it. Jean uses lots of local produce and has their grounds where they forage. We did a collaboration meal together for a charity recently, but what he does is amazing, and his dishes are totally inspired by nature, although his South African heritage comes through a little bit, too.”
Who comes here?
“Interlude has a Michelin star, so it pulls in foodie crowds from far and wide.”
Best table in the restaurant
“Interlude is in a Grade 1 listed building, and the room itself has the vibe of a very formal dining room. As I said, it is cosy and intimate and not very big, but there are bay windows, and the tables under them are nice.”
Best time to go
“Anytime is wonderful, but if you can book in and stay in one of the estate’s rooms, I’d do that. Make a whole weekend of it if you can.”
Dish to order
“All of Jean’s offerings are brilliant, but you know what? The bread he makes, which he serves with these different dips and butter and seasonings, is just amazing. Bread is one of the simplest things to make, but he does it exceptionally well.”