Blanc gets taste for hospital cuisine

Catering staff might have been a little nervous when they found out Blanc was receiving treatment.

But the Michelin-starred chef, 60, speaking of his two-week stay at the John Radcliffe Hospital near Oxford, said: "I sampled the hospital food and I'm pleased to say that it was edible.

"It was a pretty good try considering it is cooked for the masses. It was certainly good enough for an institution.

"I tried the steamed haddock with potatoes and, although the haddock was overcooked and quite dry, I gave the dish six-and-a-half out of ten.

"Their best dish was a spicy chicken tikka, which was fun, and I gave that seven out of ten.

"The chilli con carne was not so good. It was rather watery. I was only able to give it five out of ten."

During his stay he was told off by the nurses for opening a half-bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin, and was ordered to put the wine away because of the side- effects with the medication he was taking.

He also received cakes from staff at a nearby Maison Blanc to satisfy his sweet tooth while in hospital.

Blanc broke his right leg in six places in early March when he fell down the stairs at his home. He has now been ordered to rest for a further 12 weeks.

Geoff Dix, facilities manager for Carillion, which provides the catering services at the hospital, said: "We are very pleased with this feedback from Mr Blanc.

"We have about 700 patients at each sitting and we always try to provide patients with a good choice."