Delicious and decadent…

F&HE contributor Jenny Handley meets Eric Lanlard

Meeting award-winning master patissiere chef Eric Lanlard at a breakfast hosted by le Creuset at Silwood Kitchen in Cape Town made for a memorable morning. Eric demonstrated some seductive dishes, and also unveiled his philosophy about food being unpretentious, borne from his childhood in Brittany, France.

Previously just a tad intimidated by the intricacies of chocolate, I felt my fears dissolve as I watched him create three recipes out of his new book, Chocolat – with the salted butter caramel cake being my favourite. His masterpieces have a peasant feel, and I was quite relieved when he insisted that it is perfectly okay to have cracks in the top of your chocolate cake!

Gentle, warm and accomplished but so unassuming, Eric is a little like a cup of hot chocolate… one cannot resist his charm or a second helping! I will have my next taste of Eric’s talent by slowly but surely working my way through the rest of his recipe book (using my le Creuset bakeware of course).

It was fitting that the autumn sun shone brightly for le Creuset as they launched their new Soleil range – sunshine yellow to brighten up any kitchen.