The 11^th March 2024 marks the fourth anniversary of Alain’s father, Michel’s passing, a victim of a progressive, incurable lung disease called “pulmonary fibrosis”.  This dreadful condition kills more than 6,000 people in UK every year, yet until his diagnosis, three years earlier, in common with many, I knew nothing about it.  Watching helplessly, as my irrepressible father faded away was the toughest six months of my life.  Last year, I took little persuading to accept an invitation to become Patron of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust.

Please join us in our efforts to support Chairman and sufferer, Peter Bryce and his team in their phenomenal efforts to support victims and their families.  In the clamour for the charity spotlight, with so many worthwhile causes vying for our attention, the Trust struggles more than most”.

Throughout the month of March, we will be adding an optional charge of £5.00 to every bill for #pulmonaryfibrosistrust  All proceeds will be directed to the Trust.  If you would rather not contribute – or if you’d like to give more – please just say so!  Your £5.00 will contribute to the valuable work being done by the Trust, throughout the UK, to improve the lives of sufferers and their families, raise awareness, research treatments and find a cure.

www.pulmonaryfibrosistrust.org

We are delighted to announce that Alain Roux has become the new Patron of Swan Lifeline.

We have a special connection with the swans, being right by the River Thames. Alain says;

“The swan is the emblem of The Waterside Inn, they’re part of the family.  Our guests love and respect them and so do we.  Over the years generations of swan families have bred here, and we feel very protective of them.  We look forward to the swan-upping ceremony and sometimes welcome David Barber, the Royal Swan Marker and his team to stop by for refreshments.   I admire the work of Swan Lifeline having had cause to call them out on a few occasions. It’s a pleasure and an honour to join as patron, to help spotlight the work they do. Their staff, trustees, and team of volunteers rescue, rehabilitate and release Swans back into the wild.  I also admire their work in the community, educating children and young people about the environment, the river and the dangers posed by pollution and litter. They also run a successful work experience programme for those with special needs.”

The charity relies completely on voluntary donations, whilst swans face ever greater challenges including that of Avian Flu.  If you would like to read more about the important work of Swan Lifeline visit their website via this link.

Alain Roux has been involved in restaurants since he was a boy. In 1972 his father, Michel, together with his uncle Albert, opened the famous Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, which became one of the UK’s most celebrated destinations for French food. Three decades later, Alain took over the establishment and it remains the only French restaurant outside France to have maintained three Michelin stars for nearly 40 years.

While Roux is known for his complex and inventive dishes such as pan-fried lobster medallions and ginger-flavoured vegetable julienne with a white port sauce, and black trumpet mushroom ravioli with a butternut squash coulis, sage pesto and toasted pine kernels, he is a fan of the classics as well. Roux is not afraid to admit that his favourite condiment is ketchup, and his most treasured recipes are the dishes he picked up from his grandmother.

One such favourite is a recipe for île flottante, or “floating island”. This is typically a meringue floating in crème anglaise, although Roux’s grandmother liked to add vanilla. “The story in my family is that when my grandma was preparing the dish, you knew if the people [coming over] were important because you could count the vanilla seeds. The more vanilla seeds, the more important the guests.”

Follow this link to The Times Luxury section to watch Alain make his favourite dish and if you’d like to test it yourself the recipe is included in the article.

The ultimate culinary experience …recreate the Roux magic at home!

We are delighted to unveil our exciting, state-of-the-art new Culinary School and Michel Roux Library, based at The Waterside Inn. A first for a three Michelin starred restaurant in the UK, the School is an inspired conversion of Alain’s late father, Michel Roux OBE’s riverside home, with interiors designed by Alain’s wife Laura Roux. Created as a unique centre of culinary education and training for our own kitchen and front of house staff, we can’t wait to share it with our wonderful guests too.

A variety of bespoke, unique cookery classes, courses, demonstrations, and immersive masterclass packages will be on offer, to enjoy in a fun, relaxed and beautiful setting. Already boasting one of the best training kitchens dedicated to classic French cuisine in the UK, The Waterside Inn’s new School elevates the Roux culinary legacy, offering an exciting resource for people who share the Roux family’s passion for food and hospitality.

Cook with us and we will help you gain a better understanding of the products, the best cooking methods and techniques, not to mention the three Michelin star tips that make all the difference ….!

Alain Roux’s Culinary School

Chef Alain is honoured to take on patronage of The Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust in memory of his father, Michel Roux OBE, who died in March 2020 from Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Chef Alain met recently with the Trust Chair, Peter Bryce, and said: “Having witnessed my father suffer the disease, I care passionately about supporting the Trust’s efforts to try to help sufferers, their families and to improve treatments.  It seems to be an illness that many people suffer but so many do not understand or know about it.”

The aim of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust is to provide personal support to people affected by Pulmonary Fibrosis.  The Charity offers practical, emotional and financial support where there is a need. They also raise awareness of the illness and in particular the challenges people face on a daily basis.

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust was founded by patients who experienced a lack of information and support upon their own diagnosis, and therefore, wanted to support others through this process.

They are there to support all those affected by pulmonary fibrosis, whether you are a sufferer or have a loved one with pulmonary fibrosis.

Peter Bryce, Chair of the Trust said “We are so pleased to have a new internationally renowned Patron, who shares a passion and understanding for supporting those who have been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.  The Trust has gone from strength to strength, supporting many patients and carers over 10 years.  We look forward to a long relationship with Chef Alain, which will enable us to provide a better quality of life to even more patients suffering with this terrible disease.”

If you are suffering from Pulmonary Fibrosis, or would like to support the Charity, please contact:

Telephone number: 01543 442 191

Website: https://pulmonaryfibrosistrust.org/

Email: info@pulmonaryfibrosistrust.org

Facebook: @pulmonaryfibrosistrust

Instagram: @PFTrust

Twitter: @pulmonaryfibrosistrust

We could not be happier with the series of solid bronze sculptures Laura Roux commissioned from Alice Andrea Ewing to mark our 50th anniversary in 2022.  This is the final element of Laura’s interior restyle of the restaurant.

Alice Andrea has created a unique group of sculptures drawing on ingredients in our menu.  They are produced through an adaptation of the Italian or Renaissance Lost Wax casting process, the resulting bronze pieces are unique translations of the original specimen, capturing every detail and curiosity of form.  To truly appreciate their beauty you have to see them first-hand!

Alice Andrea is an artist and founder-sculptor living and working in Suffolk.  In 2016, she established her own studio and foundry in the county and leads the craft-design studio Pomarius.  Her works have appeared in House & Garden, The World of Interiors, the Telegraph and exhibited at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh and Royal Horticultural Society Flower shows.  In addition to her commission for The Waterside Inn she has been commissioned by David Linley and Foster Lomas Architects.

If you would like to find out more about the work Pomarius do please visit the website https://www.pomarius-collections.com/

A unique opportunity to join Chef Patron Alain, and Michael, Chef Instructor at The Waterside Inn’s new Culinary School, aboard this unmissable European cruise.

The perfect escape for lovers of adventure and fine dining.  From immersive demonstrations to an elegant, hosted cocktail party, and onshore excursion in Salerno, Italy, you will have many opportunities to enjoy the company of Alain and Michael.

Watch and learn from ‘the masters’ as they prepare many of The Waterside Inn’s classic creations.  Enjoy tasting some of these dishes, when you order, whilst on board.

The high seas have never tasted so good!

Discover the experience

Pan-fried lobster medallions with vegetable julienne and white port sauce

“This is a signature dish of my dad’s that he created in the very early 1980s,” says Alain. “It was from one of his first trips to Asia. He came back and had that idea, influenced by the flavours of shellfish, the sweet and sour flavours and the ginger. He fried that up in the kitchen and it’s stayed nearly the same since.

“Sometimes, dishes – to cook, to prepare – they get boring. But each one of them is a challenge. For this, we need to make sure you chop the medallions to the right size, cut at the right area of the shell and then make sure to break the claws because we like to cook the lobster meat, the flesh, in the shell. It’s a challenge, but the dish has never, ever faded away.”

Welcome to our special 50th anniversary celebration issue.  We hope you will enjoy this year’s magazine and agree with us that is it a fabulous read!

The team at Threadneedle Media have done a first class job!

Editor: Mike Gibson

Creative Director: Mathew Hasteley

Managing Director: Mark Hedley

Senior Designer: Lucy Javanshir

Staff Writer: Molly Codyre

Contributors: Ben Winstanley, Carolyn Boyd, Nick Savage

Photography: David Harrison, Ian Dingle, Jamie Lau, Lateef Okunnu

BBC Radio Berkshire’s presenter Bill Buckley recently visited The Waterside Inn to take a look behind the scenes, taste our cuisine and talk with Alain Roux about all things culinary and what the future holds.  Be sure to make a date for your diary to tune into his programme on Friday 7th and Saturday 6th October 2022.

The first two hours of the Friday show (1000-1200hrs) are almost all about The Waterside Inn. The interview with Alain will go out at 1010hrs and 1020hrs in two segments, the tour of the Waterside Inn at 1045hrs, interview with Frederic at 1105hrs and then the apprentices at 1120hrs.  On Saturday there will be more from Alain and Frederic around 12.30pm.  We are honoured that BBC Berkshire are allowing so much airtime to our little restaurant.

Bill Buckley’s show on BBC Radio Berkshire and available on BBC Sounds after airing.

Family is at the heart of everything we do.  Each and every member of the team is a valued member of our extended family. When looking for a partner to create The Waterside Inn’s signature gins we looked for experts in their field, but also people who share our sense of family so we welcome award-winning Hawkridge Distillers into the fold.

We are delighted to present our Signature Rhubarb & Ginger Gin and our Signature London Dry Gin, available to buy online https://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/shop/

We are delighted to launch the Alain Roux “Homemade” range as served to our resident guests on The Waterside Inn’s breakfast tray.  Each recipe is a Roux family favourite.  Bring a bit of The Waterside Inn to your home.  You can choose from Orange Marmalade, Strawberry Jam, Apricot Jam, Blueberry Jelly, Hazelnut Chocolate Spread and Long Lane Honey.