Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons

The renowned chef Raymond Blanc OBE created ‘Jardin Blanc’, a special pop-up restaurant at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It was a hidden wonder, sectioned off from the public area of the event. Each year the restaurant showcased artists, and their design team approached me to create something for 2017.

I remembered going to Raymond’s famous restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, when I was 16 years old as a special treat with my parents. I still have a photo of me among the colourful rows of chard which I loved. So, I asked if I could go to their kitchen garden and select edible plants to cast. The head gardener was very helpful and having access to such great plants was like a dream come true. I used a wide range of edibles including beetroot, amaranthus, fennel, cabbage, sorrel, lettuce - and edible flowers such as marigold and borage. It must have been the first time that I’d created a specific collection of themed pieces numbering around thirty. I later found out that Queen Elizabeth II attended high tea where my work was handing, so I’d like to think that she also enjoyed them!