Galton Blackiston began his career in the kitchen in 1979 selling his homemade cookies, preserves and cakes at a stall in Rye Market. He was so successful at it that he gave up his plan to become a professional cricketer and opted for a career in a chef’s shirt. He began work at the famous Miller Howe Hotel in the Lake District, under the direction of flamboyant television chef John Tovey. It was there that he met his future wife Tracey, whom he married in 1987. Little by little he rose to the position of head chef. In the following years, he worked in Canada, New York, South Africa, and finally London. In 1991, Galton and Tracey restored an 18th century brick and stone manor house located next to Morston Marshes in Norfolk. Morston Hall has been turned into a Michelin star hotel and restaurant and is one of Britain’s leading country hotels. Galton was named the 2001 UK Chef of the Year Craft Chefs Guild; and was named East Anglian Chef of the Year in 2002 and 2003. In 1992, Galton began sharing his love of Norfolk produce and Morston Hall cooking skills with a biweekly series of cooking demonstrations; and filmed a dozen 3-minute segments promoting Norfolk seasonal products for Anglia Television. Galton likes to say that there is no better place than Norfolk. She says that real cooking involves using the highest quality local produce in season and cooking them as simply as possible. What interests him most, he says, are the simple things that are done well, as opposed to the complicated things that are done poorly. He has two books to his credit: Cooking in Morston Hall, Y A return to the royal kitchen. As a chef apparel representative from the Midlands and East, he was one of the finalists in the Great British menu series in 2006 and 2007. He also appeared on the BBC Two program Food poker in 2007.
Raymond Blanc is the owner and chef de cuisine of Le Manoir Aux Quat ‘Saisons. Originally from France, Raymond moved to Britain in 1972. Since then, he has been given credit not only for witnessing a sea change in British eating habits, but for being one of the main drivers to encourage it, putting emphasis on flavor. . He says he wants to express the beauty of taste and texture; Even when peeling a carrot, consider how to improve its flavor. This emphasis is revealed in his recipes, which put an original and imaginative spin on many classic French recipes. Raymond was the son of a watchmaker, who grew up in the town of Besancon, near Dijon. Before deciding to wear a kitchen apron, he had worked as a nurse and in a factory. When he was twenty-one years old, he was looking out of a restaurant window one day and saw a chef flambéing a sea bass. That was the beginning for him: he walked into the restaurant and spoke to the owner, who hired him as a dishwasher. As he made his way to the waiter, he watched the cooks; and one day he criticized the chef’s cooking as bad. A copper frying pan was thrown at him, breaking his jaw and nose. After leaving the hospital, he found out about a job at Rose Revived in Newbridge Oxford, and he jumped at the opportunity. He was promoted to chef after a year and began working overtime to save enough money to open his own restaurant. When he was twenty-eight he opened Les Quat ‘Saisons, in Oxford, which quickly earned Michelin stars and many other distinctions. The original Quat ‘Saisons was renamed Le Maoir aux Quat’ Saisons and moved to a beautiful little country house in Great Milton, where it now has a cooking school and restaurant. Raymond plans to open a second restaurant in Bath. Raymond’s first series for BBC TV in 2007, The restaurant, featured nine couples competing to win the chance to run a restaurant. His second television series appeared on BBC Two in 2008.