Christmas is a time for us all to indulge in some seriously great food, and that’s something the nation’s favourite French chef knows all about.
But Jean-Christophe Novelli – a man whose exploits in the kitchen have made him the recipient of four Michelin stars and a five out of five AA rosette – prefers to put the pots and pans away for the festive season.
The 53-year-old, who was the head chef on the ITV show Hell’s Kitchen, said: “I do have a big Christmas at my house. It’s the only time I don’t cook, for a start.
“I look back, the last few years of my life are the only time I did not have to work on Christmas day and New Year’s Eve. For nearly 40 years, I did. It was annoying.”
He added: “I like the fact that Christmas in this country is very traditional. I really enjoy it very much.
“Your tradition of smoked salmon in the morning is very unusual. In France, we have oysters and crayfish.”
For a while now, Jean-Christophe has been working with supermarket chain Aldi, whose fortunes have risen dramatically recently as they have gone from the budget option few would want to be seen dead in to a viable and often exciting alternative to main chains.
As if to prove the point, Aldi has gone big for Christmas while keeping the prices low.
On its shelves this year, expect to see whole legs of Serrano ham, lobster tails, whole crab, caviar and £12.99 champagne that gets the thumbs up from all the critics.
Unsurprisingly, Jean-Christophe was very forthcoming and enthusiastic about the range – having tasted much of it myself, I suspect that’s not just because it’s in his contract.
Among his recommendations was the lobster tail.
He said: “I keep saying today that the lobster is just value for money in terms of quality, you will never find this anywhere else.”
He added: “I was very impressed by the caviar, it’s brilliant and the texture is not too salty.”
“I have tasted most of it and went through everything. The macarons were superb.”
The chef admitted that he wanted a Serrano ham for himself and is convinced there must have been an error with the labelling.
He enthused: “I thought it was a mistake at first. I thought there was no way it was that price. Even in the trade, you can’t buy it at that price.
While he goes crazy for much of the luxury on offer, Jean-Christophe is only recently won over by one of our favourite Christmas treats.
He said: “I’m French and I don’t like mince pies.
“It’s the only thing I don’t like. It’s not that I don’t like them, I can’t work them out. I don’t enjoy eating them.
“Last year I did enjoy eating mince pies. I used the Malbec, the Champagne, the mince pies and the Christmas pudding.
“Do I make it myself? No I don’t, because I don’t want to do it and if I want the best, that’s what I buy.”
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