Inside Michel Roux Jr And Emily Roux’s Family Christmas

How does one of Britain’s most Michelin-starred families ‘do’ Christmas? We spoke to Michel Roux Jr (Le Gavroche) and Emily Roux (Caractère) about their dynastic culinary family’s unique Christmas in the South of France – covering everything from the great brussels sprouts debate to whether a traditional turkey makes the cut.

How Do Michel And Emily Roux Celebrate Christmas?

How are you spending Christmas? 

Emily Roux (ER): So, we’ll shut the restaurant on 22 December, and then we’ll reopen at the beginning of January. We’ve been doing that for the past five years. And then we’ll be in Ardèche, in the South of France, where my mum’s side of the family is from. 

Michel Roux Jr (MRJ): We’ve had the house there for nearly 20 years now, and so that’s been our go-to for Christmas. It’s a big family thing: my wife and I would spend it with Dad when he was alive, always with Emily and [Emily’s husband] Diego [Ferrari], and now the grandkids, the in-laws, and so on. It’s a lovely place to congregate. We get a roaring fire go, and it just sings out ‘Christmas’. 

Is your Christmas a French affair, or staunchly British (despite the location)?

MRJ: We do it like the French, so we tend to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, meaning dinner on the 24th is quite an affair. We also open presents on Christmas Eve, although we’ll save a few until just gone breakfast on the 25th. But then we go onto Christmas lunch. 

ER: It does really depend! My husband is Italian, too, so we have a little bit of that influence, too – last year we had fresh pasta as a starter, with a bisque and some prawns from the local market. It was delicious. I think we did do a goose, but really we change it up every year. And it depends on what the local butcher has kept aside for us. 

MRJ: Yes, when we’re in France, we do tend to go heavy on seafood. Emily isn’t too keen on oysters, but her mother, my wife, loves them so there’ll always be a few for us. And then lobsters and scallops are a total must. I do hope Diego cooks us a risotto or pasta dish. I nowadays refuse to order a risotto in a restaurant or anywhere else, because I’ve been so spoiled by having him in the family. 

Your family contains a higher-than-average proportion of capable chefs. Who does the cooking? (And do too many cooks spoil the broth)?

MRJ: We tend to divvy it up. Everyone takes a course, so there’s no stepping on each other’s toes. Emily, Diego and I will do one. It works better that way. 

Which course will you be cooking? 

MRJ: I’ll be roasting the turkey. Emily’s not a huge fan of roast turkey – although she always eats it, even if she says that… It’ll most probably be one we bring from the UK, a KellyBronze turkey. 

A butterflied roast pork

ER: We don’t always do turkey. We love goose, we’ve done beef in the past, we’ve done pork. We don’t really have a set protein, I’d say. We’re very lucky to have so many chefs in our family, and because we tend to prepare a dish each you can rest for the remainder of the meal. I suspect my father will do the starter and plate that up, and then he won’t move for the rest of Christmas lunch. I’ll do the main course, and Diego will do the dessert. I think.

Hm… I’m not sure you’re completely on the same page with your Christmas plans! 

MRJ: Well, Emily’s being invited into my house, so… when in my house!

Does it ever get competitive? 

ER: I mean, no, in the sense that we all just want to have a beautiful meal, and it’s Christmas fun. But obviously I think there’s always going to be a bit of cheeky ‘I’d have done this’, like any family, I suppose. 

What are your table non-negotiables? 

MRJ: I like traditional. I love smoked salmon – you can’t knock it: it’s easy as a cold starter, and it gives you more time with family or friends and your glass of champagne. And I love roast turkey with all the trimmings, whether sausages or stuffing or roast veg. 

ER: There’s also always got to be pigs in blankets. Roast potatoes are inevitably there, too, at some point. And my parents love Christmas pudding. I’m not a huge fan, so I tend to make an additional dessert, regardless. 

What’s your take on brussels sprouts?

MRJ: You can’t have Christmas without brussels! Although I’m not a fan of them just boiled. But roasted, thrown in with loads of garlic, onions and chestnuts, and super caramelised, they’re lovely. 

ER: This is the big battle. I don’t like them at all. Everybody else loves them. Each year they try to find a new technique to see if I’ll enjoy them. There’s loads of ways you can make them more appetising, you know, add bacon, lemon zest, all that. But they’re just not for me. 

What’s your take on bread sauce?

ER: I quite like bread sauce. My parents don’t. I’d say we don’t normally do it. 

MRJ: I’m not so fond. I prefer a nice jus made with all the bits from the turkey tin. Not a gravy, though. 

Beyond the food, how do you set the festive mood, whether it’s music, table settings, particular drinks?

MRJ: Well, there’s always a nice selection of cheese and port – English style there – and most probably Christmas pudding. We tend to opt for a mix of vintage champagnes and Rhone Valley wines. 

ER: As far as decorating, my mum looks after that. It’s already very festive because it’s a very old house made of stone, and there’s a huge fireplace, and that’s usually lit up. We’ll also get festive by going on lovely long walks – we’re surrounded by vineyards, and it’s a great way to entertain the boys (my kids are five and two). I wish it would snow, but that’s not happened for a few years. 

Do you think the next generation will be wanting to help out with the Christmas cooking in the next few years? 

ER: Oh for sure. Actually, yesterday, for the first time, I asked Julian my eldest to help me with some boiled eggs. I told him, I want you to try a breakfast that I really like – which is boiled eggs marinated overnight in chilli oils, with spring onions and soy sauce – and I got him to peel the eggs. And he’s five, so I thought, this will probably end up with egg everywhere… But he was so patient, and did it faultlessly. I think he may be wanting to help us this year. 

Could you share one standout memory of Christmases past? 

MRJ: Every year something happens, and that ends up in the memory banks. But a long time ago, when Emily was only a few years old, I remember staying at my parents’ house. My dad had prepared the full meal. He’d roasted the turkey, and put it on the kitchen table to rest. And we were having a glass of champagne and a sit down while we waited, and we looked out of the window to see the labrador. Running away with the turkey. So that was our Christmas lunch gone. The dog had had half the turkey in just a few bites. It was just stuffing for us that lunch!

Three generations of the Roux family

ER: My mum has this small Christmas tree cuddly toys which is so cute, it has these jingling bells around it, and when you clap your hands, it does a dance and a song. I remember as a child being totally fascinated by this tree. And she’s kept it, so now my kids adore this dancing Christmas tree, too. That piece of decoration just makes me smile every time I see it. 

Do you have any tips for Christmas cooking? 

ER: Prep in advance as much as possible, and choose dishes that allow you to relax on the day. So many people get caught in the kitchen for hours and then can’t really enjoy the moment. The vegetables and dessert can be done the day before. 

MRJ: It can get very pressured, yes. Do it before the day. Your roasted potatoes, for example, you can par boil them the day before – I’d then advise leaving them uncovered in the fridge (or other cold place), as drying them out makes them really crispy when they’re then roasted. 

Emily Roux, Michel Roux Jr and Diego Ferrari are presenting a special four-course menu at Caractère across December and January. The ‘Roux Family Christmas’ is priced at £195pp, and includes canapés, bubbles, a four-course menu, petit fours, coffee, water, and goodie bag. A wine pairing is available for an additional £90. Book at caractererestaurant.com