Celebrated chef Michel Roux Jr recently paid a visit to Herm Island as part of the Guernsey Literary Festival 2024.
Michel is best known for running the Michelin star French restaurant La Gavroche, as an expert judge on MasterChef: The Professionals and as the author of 11 cookbooks.
During his visit to our Islands Michael also spoke at St James with presenter Hannah MacInnes, and chaired a sold out lunch at the Old Government House Hotel with dishes inspired by his latest book. Both events were organised by the Guernsey Literary Festival.
During his visit, Michel took a tour of the Herm oyster fields to see how they are caught, and then returned to The White House Hotel to try some of the freshly caught oysters with his wife and some of the kitchen team.
Of his experience in Herm, Michel said:
"My first impressions of Herm is just mind blowing. I'm almost speechless which is a very, very rare occurrence.
I've tasted oysters from all over the world and each oyster has their own particular flavour profile. So I was really interested to taste the ones from Herm and literally just out there, and they really are very very good. Very purse in flavour, not too salty and I think you can say the equivalent of 'terroir' in French which means that they take the flavour of where they're growing"
Michel also paid a visit to Hauteville House, home of Victor Hugo.
"It's spectacular. I didn't know what to expect and I'm still trying to compute how this man lived. I mean his story is there, it's wonderful!" [ITV Channel Islands]
Photography: Paul Chambers
Video: Spike Productions
Our thanks to the Guernsey Literary Festival for hosting these events.
