Albert & Michel Roux

Speaker 20:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music.

Speaker 20:08

The programme was originally broadcast in 1986, and the presenter was Michael Parkinson.

Presenter0:30

Our Desert Island Castaways are brothers who have become Britain's best known restaurateurs. More than that, they're recognized as two of the best chefs in the world. They've been described as gastronomic missionaries whose purpose in life is to teach us how to eat. They are Michel and Alberu.

Presenter0:46

Gentlemen, welcome. I must ask you, you're going to share this desert island together. You're better than most of our guests, we've got it to ourselves. But do you think you'd get on well together? Michel, can I ask you first of all? Oh, I think it'd be back to the old days, really. So, I mean, I look forward to that.

Albert1:01

I would uh second that sentence.

Presenter1:03

What strengths of Michel's would you discover, do you think, on this desert island? Would it bring the best out of him? And if so, what would be the best of him?

Albert1:11

Esuma.

Albert1:12

Which um I love.

Presenter1:14

Yeah.

Albert1:14

Michelle, what about you? He's a good cook, and I think I'm I can swim well, so if I go swimming and pick up few shellfish, I mean, I think he can prepare a good meal.

Presenter1:24

Let me ask you the reverse of that question. What would most get on your nerves about the other brother, Michele or Halbert?

Albert1:32

I can't think of anything, to be honest.

Presenter1:33

I'm I'm going to enjoy it all. Elva?

Albert1:36

No, no, I would agree with that. It I think it would be uh going back to the basic when we were at school together.

Albert1:42

I think it would strengthen the the bone.

Presenter1:45

Have you always been very, very close?

Albert1:48

Oh, extremely. Extremely.

Presenter1:49

Was there ever any doubt that you were not going to work together at the time?

Albert1:53

Absolutely none. No, no. Right out from uh childhood we were going to be together. It's never been put into I always look at Albert as uh my mentor and someone who uh you know was giving me inspiration and I wanted to do what he was doing and I loved him and uh

Speaker 12:00

Yeah.

Presenter2:00

Yeah.

Speaker 12:01

It has

Albert2:10

I wanted to be with him.

Albert2:11

wherever he was and uh came to this country, so I came to this country.

Presenter2:16

Right, so you're now together on this desert island. Now we're going to choose the music for it. Now, let's see how disparate your views are on that. Albert, you've got the first choice. What's your your first choice of record?

Albert2:25

If you go away.

Presenter2:26

Bihoo.

Albert2:27

Shelley Bass

Presenter2:27

And why?

Albert2:28

Well, I think it's very appropriate.

Presenter2:31

You're sending your brother away, are you friends? Exactly.

Albert2:32

I think he is.

Speaker 12:35

Yeah.

Albert2:36

Uh

Speaker 12:37

Yeah.

Albert2:37

If you go away

Albert2:40

On this summer day.

Albert2:44

Then you might as well take the sun away.

Albert2:49

All the birds that flew

Albert2:52

In the summer sky

Albert2:55

When our love was new

Albert2:58

And our hearts were high.

Albert3:01

When the day was young

Albert3:03

And the night was long.

Albert3:06

And the moon stood still.

Presenter3:08

Gentlemen, let's talk about the the family background. Whereabouts in France did you grow up?

Presenter3:13

How the

Albert3:14

Born in a very small little village near Oan,

Albert3:19

went to school in a town where Michel was born, Charol.

Albert3:25

Right up to the age of um eleven.

Presenter3:27

What about your your parents, uh Michel?

Albert3:29

Otherwise

Presenter3:30

Uh

Albert3:30

Yeah.

Presenter3:30

The shaku team.

Albert3:31

And as brother said, I come from Sharol. Charol is the beef country, the equivalent of the Babyadine in Scotland.

Presenter3:31

Yeah.

Albert3:37

And really that little charcuterie was marvelous, full of wonder. I mean, father was making beautiful sausages, patty, and grandfather used to be a charcuterie as well, and make all those same goodies.

Albert3:48

I mean, there is a marvelous vivic souvenir of our childhoods as uh the food was everything fire. So was it? I mean it was fantastic. When we were sitting around the table it was really for a feast.

Presenter3:59

Just

Albert3:59

Yeah.

Presenter3:59

Every day of the week. Can you remember the two of you when you first started cooking yourselves? How old would you be?

Albert4:05

Well Albert was uh how old were you, Rather? I was fourteen when I started pastry uh work for four years.

Presenter4:12

Yeah.

Albert4:13

While up to the age of eighteen.

Presenter4:14

Why pastry work? Because both of you did your initial training, didn't you? As pastry cooks. Why was that?

Albert4:17

Yeah.

Albert4:19

I been lucky enough to be told by a wise old man to whom I confined that I wanted to be a chef. He was the chef of the Duchess of Windsor in Paris.

Albert4:31

with relation that had gone to see him, to seek advice. Then he said before being a cook you have to learn how to do pastry.

Albert4:41

And he said, Come back and see me.

Albert4:44

when you've done when you full apprenticeship.

Albert4:46

Which I did. What about you, Michelle? Well, the pastry give you the balance, really. I mean, art as well. And you were without excess. I mean, there is some freedom in Patisfree and there is other things which to hold you back. And discipline is very important. And I did exactly the same. My brother started in Patisree at the age of fourteen.

Presenter4:48

What about you, Michelle?

Albert5:05

And then I moved on into cooking at the age of seventeen and joined Braddo who was there through chef at the British Embassy.

Presenter5:11

In Paris

Albert5:12

Peace.

Presenter5:13

Was there never any doubt in in either of your minds at any point in your young life that you want to be anything other than than chefs?

Presenter5:20

Do you not want to be railway drivers' airline pilots?

Presenter5:23

No.

Albert5:24

Well, to me, um

Albert5:26

I would have not mind to be a priest.

Albert5:28

That was my second love and used to serve mass.

Albert5:32

Right up to the age of um fourteen.

Albert5:35

So that was my second string.

Presenter5:37

Do you ever regret that you didn't do that?

Albert5:39

No, no, no regret. I think I would have made a very bad priest. So one has got no regret on it. But uh I would have loved to be a priest. He's greedy, you know, so you're you're not supposed to be greedy and love your food and all that things when you're a priest, you know.

Albert5:53

What about you, Michel? Did you have any doubts at all? No, I love cooking and pastry. But having said that, I mean, I love uh carving, I love woodwork, I love uh carpentries charpentier and painting, painting, I mean, but it would be painting art. I love painting definitely as a painting of of a countryside. I mean, I would love to be a painter as well.

Presenter5:54

So did you have any doubts at all?

Presenter6:15

Right, let's have your second choice of record. Michelle, it's up to you now. What's your choice? I've chosen.

Albert6:18

Yeah.

Albert6:20

Mon Legionnaire from Edith Piaf. It reminded me of the time where I I spent nearly a year in the Sahara, which is very much in the desert that was during my army, and we were looked after, protected by the Legion. And I love Edith Piaf very much so. And I think in her song Mont Legionnaire, she described the Legionnaire beautifully well.

Albert6:42

Il es péments, il es têbeau, il santé fun stable jau Mo les giona.

Albert6:55

You're ready for angels.

Albert7:00

Jimes that survey.

Presenter7:10

'Cause from this background in uh in France that we've talked about, you came over to England more than that. I mean, you conquered the the scene here, the restaurant scene here. Let's find out about what brought you over here. Albert, you you j came over and you joined the Astor family, I believe, didn't you, first of all?

Albert7:24

Yes, I came at eighteen.

Albert7:27

and uh work for I think.

Albert7:30

Going back from memory about four months for Lady Nancy.

Albert7:34

And then she went back to America for quite a while, so I joined her son, Jackie Jacob, Esther.

Presenter7:40

What kind of a lifestyle do they lead these people?

Albert7:43

not unlike the upstairs or downstairs or the Selarai's uh the life of Lady Nancy, that was you know, people who saw that on television, that was it was, you know. There were downstairs, there were upstairs.

Speaker 17:52

Well

Albert7:55

You were extremely well looked after, in clothing and in food. You had a wage, which really was a wage you were lodged, you were fed.

Albert8:06

So the whatever money you got

Albert8:09

My first wages was five pound was pocket money.

Presenter8:12

Now, how many people would be in the house of the Astors?

Albert8:15

At the time uh calling back again from memory, we were twenty six or twenty seven in the staff.

Presenter8:21

Looking after how many

Albert8:21

Looking after a lady or for Jackie Jacob, uh looking after a couple and two children.

Presenter8:27

What kind of food did you prepare for them? There couldn't be grand meals every day.

Albert8:29

Uh no, no. Weekends uh well very lavishly where they entertain, but uh in the evening uh they would retire and uh hit maybe on a tray while they were reading or looking at television. So you had very, very simple food, posed egg or

Presenter8:45

Uh

Albert8:45

Uh Yeah.

Presenter8:47

And they'd have five people in the kitchen to do this.

Albert8:49

Oh god yes. Uh

Presenter8:52

You've had a long love affair with England. I mean, you've described it as uh thus yourself. When you first arrived at the age of eighteen from France, did you fall in love immediately with the country?

Albert9:01

Didn't take me long. I was very, very surprised when I stepped out from the train in Victoria Station. It was about five thirty, after a long crossing and a rough crossing.

Albert9:11

and seeing all those people with bolah hat and coronation.

Albert9:15

I thought I had gone into another planet.

Albert9:18

Uh being met uh by the chauffeur which had sent the photo, uh was asked to send the photo then um

Albert9:24

He couldn't speak a word of French, neither could I speak a word of English, nor that I speak perfect English now.

Albert9:31

He took me to a station and had a cup of tea and I gave his ticket to get the tea. Certainly it's vivid, still vivid on my mind. And then I jump into the car, which uh was a big Rolls-Rolls, and he took me to uh Hill Street, which is not very far from where we are now. And my life uh started in England. There was no doubt in my mind that it was the country where I was going to come back. Nobody was going to move me out from that country. I fell in love with it and um I uh often said to one who want to hear it, I only travel with a French passport. I'm definitely I feel English and I'm very happy in this country.

Presenter10:12

Why is that, though? What what is it particularly about this country that you like?

Albert10:16

I like the way people behave, the respect which they have uh for democracy, the respect which they have with other people.

Albert10:23

their thought. It is sometimes very nervy because things do move uh more slowly if you are a Democrat because you always ask other people and you see other people's feelings.

Albert10:34

It is something very unique, I think, the English people.

Albert10:38

Maybe do not realize it, because they live with it, they are born with it. But it's such a free country, a country of expression, where people take you for what you are.

Albert10:49

in knowledge and not for what your name or other things. I feel extremely free in this country.

Presenter10:56

Let's have another choice of record album from you. What's your second choice?

Albert10:59

My second choice is only you from the platters, just to remind Michele that he is the only one.

Albert11:07

Got it.

Speaker 111:07

Yeah.

Albert11:08

Only

Albert11:10

Uh

Speaker 111:11

Uh

Speaker 111:14

Can make

Speaker 111:16

I seem right.

Speaker 211:27

Uh

Speaker 111:27

Uh

Speaker 211:27

And make the darkness bright.

Speaker 211:34

God live.

Presenter11:38

Michel, let's talk now about your early days. You've heard about Alber's introduction into the the business. What happened to you? I mean, you trained as a as a pastry cook, then what happened? Well, after the

Presenter11:48

But he's free.

Albert11:49

the uh training, the apprenticeship, I um went obviously to the Rochal family. That was my choice. I mean, I was lucky enough to

Albert11:57

be directed into the family and uh I was working there for nearly seven years.

Presenter12:01

And what kind of splendor did they live in?

Albert12:03

Oh God, you know, I mean it's a bit like brother here, private houses uh in this country. I mean they were pretty much the same, I mean uh grand style. I mean I used to work in Paris and I used to work in the country for the weekend, in a house in the country north of Paris. I used to go to the south of France in July and August and work there again, uh near Saint Raphael and I used to go even for the harvest in Bordeaux in the Chateau Lafitte and I used to look after the whole family very often there, ten or twelve or twelve.

Albert12:32

And it was grand dinner or grand luncheon, but not so often. I mean, lot of the time it was for looking after one or two persons.

Albert12:38

And we were something like eight or nine person to look after one lady. It was wonderful. And uh we were serving, I mean

Albert12:46

I've seen Great Akabo many, many times and other people like that from all over the world. And what I've learned in private houses and with the Rochal family is really education manners business like, I mean, a lot of things more than cooking, test of life.

Presenter13:01

I think also too you must have been the two of you surrounded by beautiful things too of course. Yes.

Albert13:05

Yes. Well, we had the best ingredient. Yes. We had the best craftsmen working with us. We had the best guidance. And we had people I mean, obviously, those persons were person who wanted the best. So they were very demanding. And being the morning means that we had to obviously give the best and the best was hard work and dedication.

Albert13:25

And I think that we've been able to achieve that. I mean uh

Albert13:29

At the end of the day, I mean, I think my time I spent with Rochala are the best time I spend as a as a training in my uh skilled life.

Presenter13:38

No, there was brother Alber over in London. I mean, did you in intend at that time to join him?

Albert13:44

When I was on holiday, uh, spending a week or two, I came and visited him when he was working, uh especially when he used to work for the Major Casalet, the Castellet family, and uh loved it. We used to go fishing, we used to go outing in London for a meal, and that's where really we realized that there was a great potential in London. Well, we knew before, but that was a confirmation, and we knew even more that we wanted to start a business in London there and then. I was most probably twenty three, twenty four.

Speaker 114:04

Uh Are we

Albert14:11

And Albert was twenty well, twenty nine, thirty years old.

Albert14:15

It was just a decision of the right time and the cash be ready. But uh I mean from the first time I visited Albert and I went to Tonbridge Wells and Shibon, the little village where I used to work, I love the English country. As far as I'm concerned, I've been twenty years here and I just feel as happy as I am in France.

Presenter14:32

Let's have another choice of recording you, Michel. What shall it be?

Albert14:36

I've choose from um Les Cat Saison from Vivaldi. Why is that?

Albert14:42

Vivaldi, a red priest from Venice, and uh Brado wanted to be a priest, I think. So, I mean it all works together. No, he used to be called a red priest as he had red hair.

Albert14:54

Now, I used to when between the age of let's say twenty two to twenty six when I was having a little time off in the afternoon to lay down for half an hour and listening to the four season spring especially and letting my mind go away to my brother as I wanted the time to flow and to go very quickly for me to join him.

Presenter16:15

Our castaways today are the restaurateurs Albert and Michel Rue. Gentlemen, we've arrived at this point now where it's about to take off for you in Britain with your first restaurant, the Gabroche.

Presenter16:25

That's a sort of historical turning point in your life because here you sit today and you've got what, five restaurants you own, you've got a hotel, you've got an interest in other restaurants you're into.

Presenter16:34

different kinds of food manufacturers. And you haven't truly revolutionized the way we think about food.

Presenter16:39

in in this country. But what was your original notion all those years ago when you opened this first restaurant in London, Albert?

Albert16:48

I think the idea behind it which in a way succeeded splendidly.

Albert16:53

was to open a restaurant where it was not a restaurant, where it was more like a large private house.

Albert17:01

where you took out of the restaurant all the pumps and the flambé and all the

Albert17:07

The ceremonial were attached to the restaurant.

Albert17:10

Which started back in the twenties.

Presenter17:12

Mm.

Albert17:13

Yeah.

Albert17:13

a short menu. We done away with the large menu. Looking back, yes, first in Europe to do that, looking back at the first menu of Gavroche.

Presenter17:17

Looking

Speaker 117:18

Yeah.

Albert17:24

That was a revolution. There was about uh six data.

Albert17:28

Five meat, uh three fish, and uh five sweet.

Albert17:33

And um giving people joy in a sort of a relaxed atmosphere.

Presenter17:37

You've talked the two of you about the way you love the country, but I mean wasn't it also of course a perfect place to to pitch your notions? Because our food here, generally speaking, was and is probably dreadful in the main. It can be look.

Albert17:49

that that way, but I would look at it the other way, when there is no element of comparison of what you do it, when you're alone and you're damn good in the ocean. You know, I mean, who is going to know that you're good? It has been difficult for us. In fact, we're having a better time now

Albert18:03

I'm saying now th there is more good restaurant now, uh more interest in cooking now amongst the young British chef, uh mainly, and uh uh the standard has risen a lot in this country.

Presenter18:15

Well, I mean, and how much do you think you've contributed to that? How much because of your presence has that?

Albert18:21

I mean, we have contributed by just um giving more a higher standard and and better food. That's what we wanted. We trained a lot of people which has been extremely good because they themselves start to retrain other people and expose other people to the kind of thought we feel in food.

Speaker 118:31

Uh

Presenter18:31

Yeah.

Speaker 118:31

What a m

Speaker 118:32

Which has

Albert18:41

And food is not a three star restaurant, that's where it uh it stop.

Albert18:45

There's a three star toast, there's a three star fried egg.

Albert18:49

I mean, food must be excellent at all level. I mean, there's a three-star salad.

Presenter18:53

What is the three-star fried egg out there?

Albert18:55

Deep fried egg, uh it takes about uh three and a half to four minutes to fry an egg.

Albert19:01

And um there is a way of frying an egg. It's not a quick action frying of an egg.

Speaker 119:06

Uh

Albert19:07

Three star exists in every food.

Albert19:10

Yes, but back to the training now of the young people we've trained and some of them have started their own business. I mean we we've got over sixty percent British young people in our kitchen now which represent over sixty chefs, British chefs working for us. And we've got some now working two or three star Michelin in France, leading parties as well. And I think you know that would have been unthinkable ten or fifteen years ago.

Albert19:32

Abba, you're

Presenter19:32

Your next choice of record.

Albert19:34

What?

Presenter19:34

Uh

Albert19:34

Silent Night

Albert19:36

Why?

Speaker 220:39

God was great, that was all this day.

Speaker 221:03

Christ the Surah

Presenter21:20

Gentlemen, you're acknowledged to be two of the world's leading chefs. What what do you need to be to be a great chef? I mean, what are the attributes that you must have?

Albert21:29

I think you've got to have um a lot of uh stamina, uh you've got to have a lot of dedication, but you've got to be a good leader, you've got to be a father at the same time.

Albert21:39

You've got to remember never to panic. And something goes wrong, and it always goes wrong. You know, when you think it goes right, then it goes wrong.

Albert21:46

And you've got to lead your men, but they don't know you're leading them. They they work with you and they feel that you give them the best of yourself and you've got to give them the best of yourself.

Albert21:58

It's a wonderful feeling of having a a crowd of young chef around you. It's wonderful. I love it.

Presenter22:03

Are you?

Albert22:04

No, probably I would agree totally with what uh Michel said, you know.

Presenter22:08

You mentioned there, Michel, the the thing that and you did to Albert about looking for perfection all the time in what you do.

Presenter22:15

W what would your idea be of the perfect meal? I mean, if you were given your last meal on earth, what would it be?

Presenter22:21

Albert.

Albert22:22

I'd like chips.

Albert22:24

And I mean that with a three minute

Presenter22:26

With a three-minute egg.

Albert22:27

Uh well, I like an egg, yes, and uh the yolk uh nice and soft, so that I can dip my chips my chips nice and crispy.

Albert22:36

So I can dip them into it. Chips and egg. Yes. Michelle. Well, I do like real food, you know, so we're back to the same thing. I mean, but I would go for a stew. I mean, I love stew and I would most probably

Presenter22:38

Yes,

Albert22:47

go for one of the dish which my mother used to cook for me, which can be a

Albert22:52

An awful dish, you know. I mean, Ville Hart with carrots, uh, risotteaux, uh, blanquet de Vaux. I mean, I love blanquet devaux. You know, it always makes me laugh of people who said that Grand Cuisine is not blanquette de vaux. When my brother makes a blanquet devaux at Garboche, I love to know, as I think at Rista Michel cooking blanque de Vaux, not enough chef knows how to cook a blanche deaux, and I love those dishes. That's proper cooking.

Presenter23:15

And when you go out, what is the kind of food that you really hate? What is the thing that upsets you most of all? Pretentious.

Albert23:21

Pretentious food. You can judge the place by the menu and attitude of staff, so I always rely on smoked salmon.

Albert23:28

and uh something extremely plain sauce uh not on top, but a separate sauce in the sauceboard, so I tip very timidly into it and more often than not I don't want any more. It's uh surprises me when I ask for more. Uh so usually I have a steak, plain steak.

Albert23:45

One has to be very careful. I mean, there are places, you know, who are pretend to be and they certainly are not.

Presenter23:52

Yeah.

Albert23:52

Yeah. I think I I hate kiwi, I must tell you. Kiwi. Yes, I've kiwi fruit. Oh, I've seen them everywhere. And you know, even the shape, I can't even even cope with the shape now. That's a green eye from a horror movie, aren't they? You know, I've seen them on salad, on on on fruit dishes as a starter with a smoked salmon, with meat, with fish. I really think there must be an end of that. But apart from that, I think, you know, uh, what I hate really is cooking, which doesn't look like what I'm well, let's say that what I'm looking in my plate.

Presenter23:58

Yeah.

Presenter24:04

Horror movie out there.

Albert24:22

It doesn't test what it looks like. And my God, you know, I mean, it does happen. But I just want the tests of what I'm looking at to be truthful.

Albert24:30

Right, you have a next choice of record, Michelle. What shall it be? I love Jack Brayle, so I've chose uh Dulcinea, which is an extract from L'Homme de la Manga.

Albert24:40

And I think it's one of the greatest singers and actors as he was acting as well in that uh play and uh I I will always remember that play. It's one of the greatest plays I've seen.

Speaker 124:49

Je save ja, je save ton parénon, ton aura, tour nicola, talumiè

Speaker 125:02

Je save toujour, Je save de toujour, que sejour n menore jus catonoir.

Speaker 125:17

Andora Sina.

Presenter25:21

Gentlemen, on the publicity handout for the for the two the C V for the two of you, if you like, it says proud holders of the greatest number of Michelin stars in the world. I wonder how important it is, these guys, these food guys like Michelin, like Rone. I mean, are they really make or break for restaurateurs?

Albert25:38

At the beginning of the life of a restaurant, there is no doubt that the press and people who write and the uh

Albert25:45

guide book which uh even we I mean I certainly travel with guides and

Presenter25:50

Mm.

Albert25:50

consult them. So it certainly can make or break a place.

Albert25:55

When you are established.

Albert25:57

The only thing which guide you it's how many people you do every night and how much money you put in the bank in the morning.

Speaker 126:02

Yeah.

Albert26:04

Well we have uh not uh with our establishment uh

Speaker 126:04

Uh

Albert26:09

But we certainly have seen

Albert26:11

Her establishment of repute savaged.

Albert26:14

and the word savage can be used by guides.

Albert26:17

And where uh they must have a few hundred uh imbeciles who go there every day for lunch and dinner. The place is still full as ever.

Presenter26:24

Yeah.

Albert26:25

And uh so there's a lot of idiot going around going to eat into those places. But there's no doubt that uh the beginning of a life of a restaurant, if you get a good report on a guide or a good write-up in a newspaper, it does help you a long, long way.

Presenter26:40

In the restaurant business. I mean, is the customer always right?

Albert26:43

The customer uh is not maybe always right, but if he raises his voice and even if he's wrong and if he raises voice nicely and a complaint justifier or the justifier will need an answer and must have an answer. And that's the way we deal. I think I've become much more diplomatic than I used to be, thanks to Bradley. As you've learned through life and I've learned that, you know, it's no good to lose your temper. Listen first, see what's happened, assess the problem and talk sensibly about it. And I think the customer must be right from time to time. And if he's right, you must tell him. If he's not, you must tell him too. But there is a way of telling. No, no, no, I think a customer provided

Speaker 127:17

There is a way of telling.

Presenter27:19

Number 19.

Albert27:22

That is polite. You ought to serve him. As soon as he comes into your establishment, you sit him down, you are there to provide him with joy and pleasure. Never mind how awkward it is. I personally at Le Gavorge haven't got enough awkward customer. I love him. Because if you satisfy him, think about all the rest. They are rolling on the floor with joy, of course.

Presenter27:45

Albert, it's uh your choice of record.

Albert27:46

Oh.

Albert27:49

I've uh chosen non-general criteria, which mean uh regret nothing.

Albert27:55

I wanted my brother to know that.

Albert27:58

And who is singing that lovely song?

Speaker 128:03

Uh

Speaker 128:07

No, it's not a good idea.

Speaker 128:12

Niga beyond.

Speaker 128:17

Need a mile

Presenter28:25

Bruh.

Speaker 128:25

Ria Doria No run away.

Presenter28:32

Gentlemen, we talked about all your various business industries and one that we hadn't missed out was of course the publications, the cookbooks, um which have been incredibly successful. You've now brought a new one out, uh the Ru Brothers on on Petisserie. Do you in fact work together on these books? I mean, do you write together or what?

Albert28:47

No, no, no, we don't. I'm not a writer and um if it was only for me there would be no book.

Albert28:53

I um it's a very tedious uh job, takes a lot of time and um there'll be no books. Well like like anything we do, I mean the two brothers doing it together. What I mean is that you give me the affirmation which are some of the recipients which are in the book and I put mine together and I write. I mean

Speaker 128:59

Skill

Albert29:09

I write when I travel, I write during the night of the winter, but I I love writing. It it was my best subject at school, writing. I mean that was without that the subject I love. And in fact I like to write more in the future. I mean I'm not going to become a writer suddenly, but I feel that it's a shame that a lot of books on cooking or on patistery comes out and are written by a third person. The chef is only producing his recipe. Our books represent not cooking or patiree, they represent more than that. They represent our ideas, our point of view, our life. And I just put it on paper.

Presenter29:40

Let's have the final choice of record. Michelle is your choice.

Albert29:44

I choose um Shadow of Fire Vangelis, which I love. I mean it's a theme of the of the of that lovely film which I've got on record in fact and uh I play that track uh from time to time, especially when I feel low and a bit tired.

Albert29:59

You get so much out of it, it's a wonderful film, beautiful.

Presenter30:34

Gentlemen, so now you're shipwrecked on this desert island and you have your your records. You have to imagine that uh

Presenter30:40

Six are swept away, and you're left with one each. Albert, let me ask you which of your records would you want to retain?

Albert30:47

Non-general gratorians.

Presenter30:49

What about you, Michel? In the shy of far.

Presenter30:52

Now let's ask you about your books. Albert, what about you? What what kind of book would you take on the island?

Albert30:56

I would definitely take Escoffier.

Presenter30:58

Would you? Yes. Yeah.

Albert31:00

Why'd you say my God? Well, I want my cookery book too. Is that what you're taking? Yes, I'm taking Anton Kahim cookery book, which uh used to be a great master.

Presenter31:04

Yeah.

Albert31:10

and who will remain in the mind of everyone the great master, Laces Coffee.

Presenter31:14

Right, and now we have the the luxury object. Now you have each other of course to talk to on this island, so you'll be much, much luckier than most castaways. But what would you take? What would be your luxury object?

Albert31:24

As a luxury object, a luxury object can be anything one likes, one feels very precious.

Albert31:31

So I will take another book. Another book. I will take another book.

Presenter31:33

Yes.

Albert31:36

And it's untitled How to Manage People.

Albert31:39

Why? Why? Because you never know on an island there's two of us. I might not need it. But if someone comes along, I got a cookery book and I need a management book. So we could open something.

Presenter31:50

I think you're in for a hard time, Michelle's doing.

Albert31:52

Oh, well God, yeah. Well, I will take my small pieces of ivory which I've got at home. It's a beautiful carving. It took four years of the life of a Chinese man who I met and who I love and I think carving is a beautiful thing.

Albert32:06

Gentlemen, thank you very much indeed.

Speaker 232:14

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.