Raymond Blanc returns to Headline in two-book deal

World-renowned chef Raymond Blanc is returning to Headline with a two-title deal, including a book dedicated to his orchard.

Headline Home publishing director Lindsey Evans acquired world rights from Charlie Brotherstone at Brotherstone Creative Management.The first title The Lost Orchard will be published in November.

Blanc has spent the last seven years planting an orchard of lesser-known fruit trees in the grounds of his Oxfordshire restaurant Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. His new book is described as “a love letter to some of his favourite varieties”, featuring hand-drawn illustrations, historical information, anecdotes and recipes for the fruit.

He said: “I am truly so pleased to be working with the team at Headline Home. Writing The Lost Orchard has been such a joyful journey for me, thinking about each fruit and telling its own little story,  its connection to history, geography, sometimes politics, and even art. I feel so strongly that we should never lose sight of the important heritage of our food, which is why it was a dream of mine to plant the orchard at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat‘Saisons. Indeed, to play a small part in preserving important varieties of fruit that might struggle to survive. I am also looking forward to writing a truly exciting cookbook for Headline.

Blanc’s first books were published in the UK by Hachette, including first title Cooking for Friends (Headline) in 1994. The veteran chef, most recently published by Bloomsbury, has amassed total UK print sales of 180,365 books for £2.63m. His 2011 bestseller Kitchen Secrets (Bloomsbury) shifted 34,429 copies.

Evans said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Raymond back to Headline. He is a chef that I have long admired, and I’m so pleased to have signed up two very different but very exciting books from him. When we chatted about his orchard, I knew instantly that he should devote a whole book to it. The Lost Orchard will be very special; full of history, traditions, nostalgia, romance and, above all, Raymond’s boundless enthusiasm for food, where it comes from and how it is grown and cooked.”