So, first day in my new life as a chef. 0930 at Franck and Isabelle's restaurant, La Grange de Labahou in Anduze. To be honest I have both great hopes and great fears for today: I hope that I'm going to adore the day, not make too many stupid mistakes and that the others working in the kitchen will accept me as a potential colleague rather than a kitchen tourist; I'm afraid (but not much) that I'll find the work too difficult, too hard and that I'll make too many mistakes.
First, the choice of clothes is all-important. I've been told to wear old trousers, and the ones I've found come from an age when I was a lot bigger - for those who've not seen me for a year or more I've lost 40 kilos (six and a half stones) with another 30 to go - which gives problems with my chef's tabard - I can't fasten more than two or three buttons. Still, never mind the apron covers everything.
Introductions: that kitchen team in full say hello - Franck and Grégoire. That's all. The two of them (with a dishwasher on Saturday nights) cook up to 100 covers of an evening, thanks to a very well thought-out and planned menu. I've eaten at La Grange and before when they had Les Terrasses d'Anduze and I've never guessed how they did it or that there are only two of them.
First thing for me, orange peeling; Franck shows me how to do this with a knife and I finish the five kilos and a few lemons on top all on my own to make some orange marmalade. We discuss the differences between English and French recipes - in England the oranges aren't boiled in water first, I think, like here.
Franck makes his famous apricot chutney too - vinegar, water, spices then the apricots and some dried white grapes.
During the preparations and the mise en place, a lot of commercial representatives arrive to show their products - they normally arrive on Mondays and Thursdays, says Franck. One's selling pre-cooked dishes - no interest here where everything's home-made; then a couple of chaps who sell kitchen equipment - one of them makes plates, bowls and other such things in, incredibly, Stoke on Trent in England, "The Limoges of England but bigger," he explains. There are some very interesting things including sloping bowls, with one side higher than the other. And black ones, long plates suitable for fish…all expensive. Wait until next year, says Franck, they'll all be half-price.
Talking of fish, he shows me his 'bassin' full of trout and crayfish; dozens of trout in a 10-metre square by five metres deep basin. He's in the middle of draining it - it takes four days - to refresh the water. Eventually the trout will be served in the restaurant.
Then a little washing up for me, and what a washing up machine they have here; the size of a regular domestic washer-upper but at sink height. You slide a plastic tray of plates, saucepans and whatever in, lower the lid and one minute - yes ONE MINUTE later everything is clean and dry…I really want one of these in my kitchen at home.
The other thing I want is the steam oven; you can control both the temperature and the humidity and voilà, everything is perfectly cooked. Incredible, and not badly priced either - just €30,000.
More work: I cut up the strawberries and give them a whiz in the robotchef, then add sugar. Then add more sugar to correct my mistake…
And then I put the potato purée in a giant tray…my day gets better and better. Really, I loved it.
The only mistake (that I saw myself, that is) was to break two poached eggs while cutting them into round shapes and putting them on a plate. Oops.
When service is finished we dine together - the duck breast with pepper sauce from the menu then some cheese. You know, I could do this for a living…