Sofa cake and creative leftovers with cook and baker Manon Lagrève

Pick ‘n’ mix

What do you eat for breakfast?
I usually don’t have breakfast during the week – just coffee. At the weekend, my favourite is fresh waffles with a poached egg, avocado and bacon.

What’s your cheer-up comfort meal?
Now we’re getting into autumn, if you make me tartiflette or raclette, I’m in heaven. They’re often dishes that you share and for me, sharing always means a cheerful meal.

Are there any foods you don’t touch?
Tripe and andouille sausage. But generally, I eat everything. I love offal and oysters and all those wild and weird things.

 

What ingredients are mainstays in your kitchen?
Butter and cheese, fresh vegetables, bread, eggs. The French are good at using leftovers to make something else. If I have some cooked pasta, I make a quick pasta salad or if I have vegetables, I make a gratin. I often have leftovers that just need heating up, or I add some Boursin to some roasted vegetables or pasta and there you go – a nice meal.

Is Boursin actually popular in France?
Yes! I grew up eating it. When we would come home from school ravenous, we would cut a big slice of baguette and top with whatever was in the fridge – and if there was Boursin, you were lucky.

Today I love to cook with it – is has a moreish taste and adds flavour and creaminess. As I said, you can roast vegetables, mix Boursin with a bit of cream and put that on top and you’ve got a side dish with je ne sais quoi. I also mix it with mayonnaise for a delicious dip – so good with pizza, fries, anything.

The main meal

What kind of food did you grow up with?
I grew up on an egg farm in Brittany and my grandparents were also farmers. The food was always seasonal and mum or grandma home-cooked everything – there were no takeaways or ready-made meals.

What were some of your favourite dishes they made?
My mamie was a winner for her poulet frites on Sundays, which is like our French roast. And Mum loves to make quiche with lots of vegetables.

In summer we always made clafoutis, tarte aux pommes; Mum often made riz au lait, rice pudding, because we had milk from the farm. And gâteau au yaourt, one all French people know. We ate simple food – but there was always dessert.

When did you fall in love with food?
When I became interested in eating it! For me, there’s a big correlation between the pleasure of enjoying food and making food. The kitchen was always full, we hosted a lot and as children we always made the appetisers and peeled the vegetables. My brother and sister and I all love food and love to cook. My first jobs were at the butcher and then at the bakery.

Who has had the biggest influence on the way you think about food?
Definitely my mum and family. My uncle is a butcher; there’s one member of the family that has a vineyard; another one has a dairy; another has a restaurant and is a chef. It was only when I moved to London that I realised that all my family works in food. At family reunions – I’ve got a big family, with 18 cousins – everyone always chipped in and we would all spend the day eating at the table. Those intergenerational relationships are really strong in my family.

 

Who suggested that you enter The Great British Bake Off?
It was my idea. Bake Off was one of the first shows that I started to watch when I moved to England. I used to watch it with friends, I would always make dessert and they would joke: ‘Imagine if you did it’. At work, when there was a Bake Off-style competition, I often used to win it and my colleagues said, ‘Maybe you should do it for real’. I thought, ‘They’re never going to let a French girl on to British TV’ – but they did! I had been a software consultant. I’ve always loved to help people. Basically, my life is all about solving problems, whether it’s cooking dinner or helping with your software!

What was surprising about the Bake Off experience?
After giving birth, Bake Off was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, because I was also working full-time. And it’s putting your heart on a table and someone either loving it or hating it. That’s hard to manage as well.

What else may people not realise about the show?
The accuracy: when they say four hours, we only have four hours. You only see a fraction of the time and effort. And before the show starts, we submit all our recipes for the signature and showstopper bakes, which is challenging if you’ve never developed recipes before.

What’s it been like forging your own way in the food world?
I feel lucky because I can lead from my passion – in the last five years I feel like I haven’t been at work in a way. I think people can underestimate the time it takes though: I spend seven hours a day standing in my kitchen shooting; writing books takes over your life; I try to post a new recipe every couple of days. Sometimes it’s daunting, but once I start, I’m in the flow.

You describe yourself as a ‘Frenchie baker and cook’; how do you feel about being an ambassador for French culture and cuisine in the UK?
I’m really proud of it. You can never take the French out of the French girl! I grew up in rural France and where ingredients come from is a big thing for me. People say, ‘It’s great that you always cook seasonally’; that’s how we should all eat. It’s not only French food, but the ethics of eating better that I like to share, which I think is easier and more common in France.

What do you do when you’re not cooking?
I eat cake on the sofa with my husband. And I love dinner parties. Spending that time at the table with family or friends is a joy.

My bite-size week in Brittany

What was the best thing you ate last week?
Entrecôte my mum bought from the local butcher, cooked by my dad in the outdoor fire pit, enjoyed with frites and generous fleur de sel, and shared with my family in the garden in France.

What was the most mundane meal you ate?
A panini at the beach.

What food or drink did you buy on the go?
Snacks for my daughter, some biscuits for us and my guilty pleasure is eating roasted peanuts in the car. Drinks: an oat milk single shot flat white for me.

What was your treat of the week?
Galettes (buckwheat crêpes) and crêpes Bretonnes! Whenever we go back to Brittany, Friday is market day, which means galettes. My favourite filling is ham, Boursin, mushrooms and a fried egg, with a side of salad.

Where did you shop for food – and what did you buy?
Even being French, I always want to buy everything at the French supermarkets. I bought some salted butter, apples and apple compote as I was making a tarte aux pommes with my mamie that afternoon.

What did you do to relax?
Went to the spa at Roz Marine resort in Perros-Guirec and had an algae body treatment and hydro massage…

Indulgent cheese brand Boursin has partnered with Great British Bake Off star and French cook Manon Lagrève to bring a taste of France to Britain this summer; visit boursin.co.uk and follow Manon on Instagram for inspiration and recipes.

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