Marco Pierre White worked in some legendary kitchens in the UK before setting up on his own, including Pierre Koffmann's La Tante Claire, Le Gavroche and Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons.
Back in the 1980s Blanc paid Pierre White a visit for lunch for the former’s TV show Marco. What followed was a somewhat awkward exchange between teacher and pupil, which you can watch below.
There’s a simmering tension throughout the meal of leek and lobster terrine, pigs trotter Pierre Koffmann and roasted pears, and its clear Pierre White feels he’s very much outgrown his former boss, slipping in sly digs where possible and casual boasts about his success.
Blanc doesn’t rise to it, but you can see he knows how to put Pierre White back in his place when necessary, which riles the former even more. It’s a fascinating insight into the dynamic between the two chefs, and perhaps more, the kind of person Pierre White was at the time.
Speaking later on of what it was like to employ Pierre White, the diplomatic Blanc said: “Oh, [he] was a nightmare ... He had to always set up some sort of competition in the kitchen ... On the other hand, let’s not forget he became the most well known and youngest chef to have three Michelin stars, at 33, and that’s incredible.”
Watch the two together in the first video (from 1.10), and then jump back and see how the dishes were made in the two videos below that – including a cameo from a young Gordon Ramsay.
