After the pandemic hietas it has been a real treat for Claude Grant, Alain Roux and Frederic Poulette to get back on the road this April touring the best Châteaux in Bordeaux.

Michel Roux Fine Wines was created in 1984 and Mrs Claude Grant has been its Company Director for more than 30 years.  She frequently accompanied the late Michel Roux on this annual pilgrimage to France to taste the latest wines and decide which ones would be a good investment.  This year the baton is handed on to Alain Roux and the tradition continues.  Accompanied by The Waterside Inn’s General Manager, Frederic Poulette, who curates the restaurant’s wine list, this has been a tour de force…12 Châteaux in 3½ days!

Arrival at Château Margaux

Frederic Poulette and Alain Roux with Chris Meyer at Château Palmer

Frederic Poulette and Alain Roux with Philippe Delfaut Directeur General at Château Kirwan

Alain Roux and Frederic Poulette at Château Latour

Alain Roux at the Château Latour vineyard

Alain Roux with Henri Duboscq at Château Haut Marbuzet

Claude Grant, Frederic Poulette and Alain with the Duboscq family at Château Haut Marbuzet

Alain Roux tasting wine at Château Beychevelle

Frederic Poulette and Alain Roux with Laurent Lebrun and Estelle Mirieu at Château Olivier

Alain Roux and Frederic Poulette with Stephen Carrier at Château Fieuzal

Wine tasting at Château Pavie. Claude Grant, Frederic Poulette and Alain Roux photographed with Mme Chantal Perse and her daughter Angelique Da Costa

Alain Roux and Frederic Poulette with Hubert de Bouard at Château Angelus

Alain Roux and Frederic Poulette tasting at Ulysse Cazabonne

…and saving the best until last…Lunch at Château La Mission Haut-Brion with Jean-Philippe Delmas (pictured centre) and Guillaume Alexandre Marx, Sales Director. Pictured with Claude Grant, Frederic Poulette and Alain Roux

Claude can be contacted by email claudegrant@michelrouxfinewines.com or by phone on 01628 786709 (week days from 10am to 3pm) if you would like any further information about the opportunity of buying fine wine from Michel Roux Fine Wines.

We are delighted to announce that Le Normandie by Alain Roux at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok has been awarded two Michelin stars.

The Michelin Guide arrived in Thailand five years ago, and each year Le Normandie received this incredible recognition from the world’s most respected food guide.

Chef Alain Roux thanks the guests, suppliers, producers and team members for this award that he proudly shares with you all.

Now we look forward to taking you on a new culinary journey at Le Normandie by Alain Roux as this iconic restaurant continues to evolve.

Allow us to say both Khob Khun and Merci beaucoup.

The wait is over. On Wednesday 1st December Le Normandie by Alain Roux humbly opened the doors to seduce diners with our classic French fine dining service.

World-renowned Chef Alain Roux, together with his Head Chef Phil Hickman and culinary team, are now working their magic on every dish and presenting classic French cuisine to indulge and expand your gastronomic journey.

Federico De Luca, our new Restaurant Manager, along with our team of long standing service colleagues, look forward to providing you warm and discreet service as they welcome you back to experience the evolution of Le Normandie by Alain Roux.

To book, please call Le Normandie by Alain Roux at +66 (0) 2659 9000 or click https://bit.ly/3FVajxM

It’s official! World-acclaimed chef Alain Roux of England’s three Michelin-starred The Waterside Inn is to lead Bangkok’s very own Le Normandie restaurant.

Read the full article…

Oli Williamson has won the 2020/21 Roux Scholarship. The 30-year-old Sous Chef from The Fat Duck, Bray, beat five other finalists in a fiercely contested final held at Westminster Kingsway College, London, on Monday 25^th October, after the competition was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was the first time the Roux Scholarship has convened since the passing of its founders Michel Roux OBE and Albert Roux OBE KFO and, in memory of their fathers, Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr asked the chefs to prepare two recipes that are held dear in the Roux Family. The first, Eggs Albert, in honour of Albert Roux was an artichoke heart filled with smoked salmon, trout and truffle, topped with a poached egg and adorned with a slice of smoked salmon. The second, in honour of Michel Roux OBE was Little Flans with Snails in Green Coats. This comprised of snails and herb soufflé baked in a tartlet with beurre blanc sauce. The skill was not only perfecting the recipes but getting the timing exactly right and serving the two dishes five to ten minutes apart.

The judging panel was led by Björn Frantzén, whose restaurant Frantzén was the first restaurant in Sweden to win three Michelin stars. He was invited over from Stockholm to be Honorary President of Judges and he led the panel alongside joint chairmen Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr, who were joined by Brian Turner, James Martin, as well as previous winners Sat Bains (1999 scholar) and Simon Hulstone (2003 scholar)  plus Rachel Humphrey.

Alain Roux said: “We thought the two dishes paid respect to my father and uncle in the best possible way. They were favourites of theirs and became signature dishes. They made the dishes in the very early days when they opened Le Gavroche together and we continue to serve them occasionally, even today.”

Michel Roux Jr said: “Oli Williamson presented an Oeufs Albert dish which would have pleased my Dad to eat. It didn’t look like the original, but every part tasted brilliant.”

Honorary President of Judges, Björn Frantzén said: “It’s very difficult to do something so classic. In my book, it was an easy choice to pick the winner. There was one outstanding chef. I very much enjoyed the experience and seeing the chefs and other judges.”

Oli Williamson, who has previously worked at Midsummer House in Cambridge, and Benu in San Francisco, said: “It was my first time in the competition and it’s also my last because of my age. It was really tough but great fun. I have changed my mental approach these last few days. I was very stressed at the Regional Finals and so I decided to just go for it and enjoy it and try to be less stressed. Two dishes were a lot to do, there were lots of smaller things, loads of little bits to bring together, and you needed to be smart with your ingredients.”

Oli was battling it out against the following chefs: Ryan Baker from Maison François, London; Jonathan Ferguson from The Raby Hunt, County Durham; Ben Champkin from The Newt, Somerset; Curtis Tonge, independent chef, Chester; and Nathan Cornwell from The Barn at Moor Hall.

The winner was announced at an exclusive award dinner at Westminster Kingsway College in front of a small audience comprising the finalists’ guests, sponsors and judges, with the ceremony live-streamed via the Roux Scholarship website and YouTube channel. The three-course dinner was devised and prepared by the three most recent winners, Spencer Metzger, Martin Carabott and Luke Selby with support from the catering students at Westminster Kingsway College.

The winning chef receives £6,000, with an additional £6,000 awarded if they stay with their current employer for 15 additional months. They receive an invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months. This is in addition to an impressive list of prizes and culinary experiences provided courtesy of our sponsors.

Find out more here: https://www.rouxscholarship.co.uk/about-the-competition/prizes/

Chefs Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr’s Masterclass, in which they cook the two dishes that were set as a challenge for the finalists, can be see at https://youtu.be/0zUCmR7oz6M

Creating a signature scent is a very personal journey but Richard at Arcania Apothecary is helping Laura Roux to discover the perfect fragrance.  We can’t wait to bring the essence of The Waterside inn into your home

Homemade strawberry jane will soon be landing in our boutique….de-li-cious!

A glimpse of something very special coming soon…can anyone guess what it could be that is coming to the Alain Roux boutique?

The Waterside Inn’s green credentials have greatly improved courtesy of an exciting partnership with our good friends at Porsche GB. Four of their latest design electric vehicle car charging stations have just been installed.  We are proud to feature as a charging stop on the Porsche Navigation system.  All patrons and visitors arriving in an Electric or Hybrid vehicle with a Type 2 connector can now charge for free whilst enjoying their visit to The Waterside Inn.

Today we were delighted to welcome Porsche Business Excellence Manager, Neil Chester showcasing the first Porsche all-electric dream sports car, the Taycan, to officially launch the partnership.  Chef Alain Roux says, “This is an essential service we are so pleased to offer our guests.  We are looking forward to a productive partnership.  Porsche don’t just build amazing cars, they build strong relationships. It was an easy, natural decision since Porsche share our passion and drive to improve customer experience and the environment.”  General Manager, Frédéric Poulette says, “We are thrilled to be involved with the Porsche programme to support the environment and our guests.  Now when you visit the Waterside Inn, you will be able to recharge your Porsche or electric and hybrid car batteries, together with your own!” 

One of the unseen improvements we have undertaken during the latest lockdown is the replacement of the Restaurant’s heating, air conditioning and air filtration system.  The old system was on its last legs so lockdown has been the perfect time to get this done.

When we closed in November the old plant was ripped out and it was a sad sight to behold.

We were back to the bare bones.  An additional layer of insulation was added across the dining room roof and then the entire roof was recovered with a long lasting single-ply membrane.

Summit Design were engaged to install Panasonic’s Advanced nanoe™X Air Purification System.  Nanoe™X are tiny, nano-sized electrostatic water particles that contain ions and Hydroxyl radicals. These Hydroxyl radicals within the nanoe™X react to hydrogen (H) contained in pollen, bacteria, viruses, and odour compounds, altering their molecules and inhibiting them. Nanoe™X reliably reaches bacteria & odours and filters out 99.3% of coronavirus / 99.9% of influenza (H1N1) under laboratory testing.

This is the latest and, we believe, the best system it’s possible to install and we are totally thrilled with the final result.

Our guests may not notice any difference in their restaurant experience but we know we have taken every step possible to make the environment they walk into is as safe as can be.

Keep safe! We are looking forward to being open again and welcoming you all back.

Chef Alain Roux shares how to prepare one of The Waterside Inn’s signature dishes, Tronconnettes de Homard, with Chef Michael Nizerro.  How wonderful to see Chefs cooking! Click here to watch this masterclass on YouTube