Before this BBC podcast kicks off, I'd like to tell you about some others you might enjoy.

My name's Will Wilkin and I Commission Music Podcast for the BBC.

It's a really cool job, but every day we get to tell the incredible stories behind songs,

moments and movements, stories of struggle and success, rises and falls, the funny, the ridiculous.

And the BBC's position, at the heart of British music

means we can tell those stories like no one else.

We were, are and always will be right there at the centre of the narrative.

So whether you want an insightful take on music right now

or a nostalgic deep dive into some of the most famous and infamous moments in music,

check out the music podcasts on BBC Sounds.

BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

Our guest today is one of the best and most renowned chefs alive. His restaurant at Le Manoir

O'Cat Cézsons has consistently held two Michelin stars for the last 41 years.

Self-taught, he has himself trained a host of luminaries, from Heston Blumenthal to Marco Pierre White.

Raymond Blanc, welcome to great lives.

I understand that when we asked you initially, you wanted to nominate your

mother, but the producer said that wasn't allowed. I was very tempted to name my mother as a most

influential person in my development as a cook, as a person, and the culture she gave me, who provided

extraordinary values. That food is an act of love. She told me, who provided extraordinary values,

that food is an act of love.

She told me, of course, all the science of preserving, of growing food, of cooking food,

and the joy of the table.

...