Many cooks in the family won't spoil Easter, says Michel Roux

The Michelin-starred chef says there will be no fights in the kitchen this Easter

With Easter around the corner, more than a few families will be anticipating an old-fashioned row over the cooking.

But Michel Roux Jr, who hails from a family of famous chefs, says there will be no fights in the kitchen this Easter — even if things can get “a bit heated”.

When asked if he predicted any culinary rows, the chef said: “No. No fights. Easter in the Roux family — well, we are all good chefs so we will work it out.

“I will say we all have strong opinions and it can get a bit heated. It can get a bit hot in the Roux family kitchen.”

Roux Jr is the son of Albert Roux, 80, and the nephew of Michel Roux, 74, whose Mayfair restaurant Le Gavroche was the first in Britain to be given three Michelin stars. His cousin Alain, 47, and daughter Emily, 24, are also chefs.

Roux Jr, 55, who took over Le Gavroche in 1991 and has two Michelin stars, said he was proud Emily had followed in his footsteps. “My daughter has worked hard for six years,” he said.

“We say there is a lack of women in the kitchen but there are people like Angela Hartnett who is a shining example of women chefs. My head chef at Le Gavroche, Rachel [Humphrey], has been with me since she was an apprentice.

“There is no reason that restaurants should not employ women. They can stand shoulder to shoulder with men and are worth their pinch in salt.”

Asked what he thought of other chefs’ opinions that women cannot handle the heat of professional kitchens, he said: “In every industry you have your dinosaurs, and cooking is no exception. People who think that are dinosaurs.”

This week, it was announced Roux Jr would be one of several chefs to host Saturday Kitchen on BBC1, following the departure of long-standing presenter James Martin.

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Roux Jr — a former presenter on MasterChef: The Professionals — admitted he was nervous, adding: “It’s live television and so it will be high-intensity. People are talking about filling big boots — but we are not there to replace or emulate James. People will really miss him and will be sad not to see him when they turn on their televisions on Saturday morning. But the show must go on.”

Of the show’s omelette challenge segment — in which guest chefs cook an omelette in the fastest time possible — he said: “I really hope the chefs cook the omelette properly when I am presenting, as I really feel for James having to taste that uncooked gloop that’s sometimes served up.”

Roux Jr was speaking ahead of his involvement in The Craftsmen’s Dinner short film series, produced by whisky brand The Balvenie, which sees him travelling the country to learn more about crafts such as painting and pottery. The chef said more needed to be done to show people that a university education was not necessarily for everyone and apprenticeship schemes in crafts such as cooking could set people up for a career for life.

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