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The Lost Orchard: A French chef rediscovers a great British food heritage. Foreword by The Former Prince of Wales
'Blanc set about the most thorough apple-tasting and cooking project I have heard of . . . [ The Lost Orchard ] condenses the highlights, his love letters to the forgotten apple breeds.' The Times
'I began to dream about an orchard filled with thousands of fruit trees... Today we have an orchard with over 150 ancient varieties of apple. Each one has its heritage in a village or a county that used to thrive on that particular variety. They tell the story not only of what we have lost in Britain but also what we could regain.'
Over the past seven years, Raymond Blanc has planted an orchard of 2,500 trees in the grounds of his hotel-restaurant in Oxfordshire. Yielding about 30 tonnes of fruit for his kitchen each year, it is full of ancient and forgotten varieties of British apples and pears, along with walnut trees, quince, medlars, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, damsons and cherries. A further 600 heritage fruit trees have been added from Raymond's home region of Franche-Comté in France.
The Lost Orchard is a love letter to each of these varieties, complete with beautiful black and white drawings, photographs of Belmond Le Manoir and fascinating information and anecdotes about each fruit, along with recipes and stories.
'I began to dream about an orchard filled with thousands of fruit trees... Today we have an orchard with over 150 ancient varieties of apple. Each one has its heritage in a village or a county that used to thrive on that particular variety. They tell the story not only of what we have lost in Britain but also what we could regain.'
Over the past seven years, Raymond Blanc has planted an orchard of 2,500 trees in the grounds of his hotel-restaurant in Oxfordshire. Yielding about 30 tonnes of fruit for his kitchen each year, it is full of ancient and forgotten varieties of British apples and pears, along with walnut trees, quince, medlars, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, damsons and cherries. A further 600 heritage fruit trees have been added from Raymond's home region of Franche-Comté in France.
The Lost Orchard is a love letter to each of these varieties, complete with beautiful black and white drawings, photographs of Belmond Le Manoir and fascinating information and anecdotes about each fruit, along with recipes and stories.
352 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2021
27 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Blanc
50 books13 followersRaymond Blanc is a celebrity chef from Rural Franche-Comté, France, who runs a chain of restaurants in the UK, several of which have received Michelin stars. His ingenuity, passion and French Charm have also landed him several noteworthy series on the BBC.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2020
A really interesting guide to different varieties of tree fruit, their history, how they cook and how they taste. I also learnt a new word from this too, 'pomologist,' which is now a favourite word of mine! I would lo d to visit the orchard in Oxfordshire mentioned in the book one day. Would recommend to people who like gardens and those who are thinking of planting a fruit tree or two, you don't need a whole orchard, even a tree in a pot on a patio or balcony can do well. :)
February 27, 2021
There is something quite magical about orchards. The most impressive that I have been to is the one at Brogdale in Kent. Not only is it vast, but the work that they do on fruit varieties benefits us all. My favourite orchard is the little community one in Bridport tucked away behind the houses and alongside the church; you’re not far from the road, but it is still a little haven of tranquillity. I would love to have enough land to have space for one, but I have to make doo with the half dozen or so trees that we have at home.
Another man who has dreamt of having his own orchard, is Raymond Blanc. He has fortunately been in a position to be able to do just that. At his award-winning hotel-restaurant in Oxfordshire, he has been able to just do that. He currently has about 2500 trees planted there, including ancient and forgotten varieties of British apples and pears, as well as 600 or so French varieties as well. On top of that, he has walnut trees, quince, medlars, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, damsons and cherries. It provides him with over 30 tonnes of fruit each year.
In this book, he has picked a number of his favourite varieties to write about and to cook with. There is a page on each type with a little history, some growing notes. He has also cooked each apple variety in three ways, puree, baked and in a Tarte Tatin. For the other fruits, he has chosen other cooking methods as well as tasting them raw.
It is really nicely produced book, full of black and white sketches and a smattering of colour photos. He is selecting a lot of the varieties that he is picking on the basis of their flavour, he is a cook after all. He quite often would be grading the apples and saying that he had picked them at the wrong time, and would be wondering of they would be better if picked at the correct time. Well, yes they probably would… I would have liked to have seen more photos of his orchard. Not a bad book overall. If you want to read more about orchards, I’d recommend, The Apple Orchard: The Story of Our Most English Fruit by Pete Brown and the The Apple Orchard: The Story of Our Most English Fruit.
Another man who has dreamt of having his own orchard, is Raymond Blanc. He has fortunately been in a position to be able to do just that. At his award-winning hotel-restaurant in Oxfordshire, he has been able to just do that. He currently has about 2500 trees planted there, including ancient and forgotten varieties of British apples and pears, as well as 600 or so French varieties as well. On top of that, he has walnut trees, quince, medlars, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, damsons and cherries. It provides him with over 30 tonnes of fruit each year.
In this book, he has picked a number of his favourite varieties to write about and to cook with. There is a page on each type with a little history, some growing notes. He has also cooked each apple variety in three ways, puree, baked and in a Tarte Tatin. For the other fruits, he has chosen other cooking methods as well as tasting them raw.
It is really nicely produced book, full of black and white sketches and a smattering of colour photos. He is selecting a lot of the varieties that he is picking on the basis of their flavour, he is a cook after all. He quite often would be grading the apples and saying that he had picked them at the wrong time, and would be wondering of they would be better if picked at the correct time. Well, yes they probably would… I would have liked to have seen more photos of his orchard. Not a bad book overall. If you want to read more about orchards, I’d recommend, The Apple Orchard: The Story of Our Most English Fruit by Pete Brown and the The Apple Orchard: The Story of Our Most English Fruit.
January 24, 2021
I give this five stars because it was a fascinating read and will be a useful reference for the future. but you have to be really interested in the history of fruit trees and orchards to appreciate the book.
It is not an autobiography with fruit, but very much a history of fruit with some biographical notes thrown in!
It is not an autobiography with fruit, but very much a history of fruit with some biographical notes thrown in!
August 23, 2022
A wonderful book, listing the histories and uses of apples - over 100 pages, and other stone fruits. Includes a list of recipes in the back.
January 8, 2024
Everything I wanted it to be. Gorgeously niche, overflowing with his sheer joy for the fruit he’s growing, and packed with historical info and beautiful recipes. A delight.
March 5, 2025
Interesting
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews