Les Quat' Saisons, Oxford

" From the moment I took that frying pan, it changed my life. It defined it."

" The name of my restaurant, Les Quat' Saisons meant that seasonality, and the nobility and the purity of the ingredients was at the heart of this cuisine. And this is just as true today as it was then!"

Raymond came to England as a waiter, and took over one night when the chef and his entire brigade walked out of the kitchen, and Raymond walked in. That moment set Raymond on the path to becoming the world-renowned chef he is today. Scarcely more than a year later, he opened his own restaurant, Les Quat' Saisons, in Summertown, Oxford.

This tiny restaurant, seating no more than 35 customers, was opened on a shoestring, with posters of Paris on the walls, and red and white checked tablecloths on the tables. Raymond began his cooking career in a tiny kitchen with corrugated roof and no windows. And within a year, Les Quat' Saisons was Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year, with a host of other awards and accolades following, including Raymond's first Michelin star.