Michel Roux Jr’s new travel program showcases French country cooking

The past couple of years have been rough on Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr. He lost both his father Albert Roux (early this year) and his uncle Michel (in 2020), in addition to the pandemic wreaking havoc on the restaurant industry. Instead of dwelling on those events, the chef is instead focusing on the positives, such as a new grandson and his new travel show, Michel Roux’s French Country Cooking.

The title of the show echoes a cookbook published by his uncle and father in 1989, French Country Cooking, and indicates how important this cuisine is to his family. Roux wants to dispel misconceptions about French cooking, which people think is heavy, fussy, and difficult. The chef dismisses these notions, saying that everyday French meals are simple, seasonal, and usually local. He calls the recipes that appear on his new show “achievable and inspiring”, perfect for reluctant cooks who may be intimidated by their mistaken impression of French cookery.

In the program, Roux focuses on eating locally, noting that the French are fervent about it: “It could be just the cheese made in their village – they won’t eat the cheese made in the village 10 minutes down the road,” he says. Roux believes that eaters in the UK are slowly coming around to this way of thinking about food. Michel Roux’s French Country Cooking will air on Food Network UK.