An interview with Christophe Lacroix, Bistro Chef
Based in the beautiful city of Bath, Bistro Chef is a proudly independent, family-run business founded by French chef Christophe Lacroix and his wife Magalie. Drawing on decades of experience as restaurateurs, the couple share a deep passion for authentic French cuisine. In 2022, they launched Bistro Chef’s home dining dishes—bringing the luxury and flavour of classic French bistro fare straight to doorsteps across the UK. From the first bite, the aromas and tastes promise to transport you to your favourite Parisian café or Provençal hideaway. At the heart of it all is Christophe, who began his culinary journey at the age of 14 in a Michelin-starred kitchen in La Rochelle, later travelling the globe as a private chef to the rich and famous. Now settled in Bath, Christophe leads recipe development and production, supported by a skilled team and the creative vision he shares with Magalie. Here we chat to Christophe.
Bistro Chef: Bringing French Cuisine Home
From La Rochelle to Bath: Your culinary journey began at 14 in a Michelin-starred kitchen. How have those early experiences shaped the dishes you create for Bistro Chef today?
Well it was an incredible time for me! I worked my way around the kitchen, learning how to prepare the most incredible ingredients, with lots of fresh seafood, butchery and seasonal produce, most of which was local. It was hard work, sometimes spending hours just turning mushrooms! But I learnt to respect quality ingredients and how to create the best possible flavours from them
Signature Dishes: Among your offerings, which dish do you believe best captures the essence of French home cooking, and what inspired its inclusion in your menu?
This has to be our Boeuf Bourguignon. It is a classic and combines two great things about France; our beef and our wine! We couldn’t possible have left it out. It’s wonderful, all year round.
Balancing Tradition and Convenience: How do you ensure that the authenticity of traditional French recipes is maintained in meals designed for home delivery?
Well when we started to create take-home dishes from our Bistro menu we worked hard to ensure that the recipes were true to the flavours we know and love. And that’s just years of experience! But really it is the fact that we cook in small batches, and the dishes are blast frozen soon after. Freezing is nature’s way of preserving, and blast freezing, which is a super-fast process, means smaller ice particles which help maintain the nutrient value and flavours in the food
Ingredient Sourcing: With a commitment to local sourcing, how do you select ingredients that meet your standards for quality and authenticity?
We can tell straight away if an ingredient is not good enough. And we have built up strong relationships with our suppliers over the years. It’s not something we really deliberate over! if a product isn’t good enough then it goes back. But that doesn’t happen very often. We are fortunate to have some incredible produce in the South West, and some excellent suppliers
Bistro Serve: Elevating Hospitality Offerings
Concept Genesis: What inspired the creation of Bistro Serve, and how does it differ from the home dining experience of Bistro Chef?
We have had our own Bistro in Bath for several years and were using the home dining dishes for our customers there. It worked really well and enabled us to offer a wider menu in a very small kitchen and with just me as the chef! So we know it works. The food range is predominantly the same, we just spend time with the food service customers to help them envisage and plan fully plated dishes
Menu Development: How do you tailor your dishes for hospitality venues while maintaining the quality and authenticity that Bistro Chef is known for?
Well we have a very wide range of dishes so all different types of venues and eating occasions are catered for. From a weekly favourite such as Lasagne to a finer dining Confit Duck leg or Lobster Bisque, we can help! Our dishes will always be hand cooked by chefs and made to our authentic recipes with premium ingredients – that won’t change!
Challenges and Solutions: What are some challenges you’ve faced in adapting your meals for different hospitality settings, and how have you addressed them?
This really comes back to our core mission – to show our customers – hospitality and consumer – that exceptionally good food can be in the form of a ready meal in the microwave! The best way to do that is to offer samples, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as you say in UK!
Sustainability and Innovation
Eco-Friendly Practices: Bistro Chef emphasizes sustainability. How do these practices extend to your hospitality partnerships through Bistro Serve?
With Bistro Serve there is less packaging required so we save on card and printing, which is good. But the whole concept helps reduce energy consumption as our kitchen produces batches of meals which means that each venue’s kitchen doesn’t need to. Ovens, fridges and freezers are heavy users of power so there is a carbon saving and a cost saving for our customers.
Personal Insights
Culinary Philosophy: What core principles guide your approach to cooking and business?
That if something is worth doing it is worth doing well. I am all in or all out!
Advice for Aspiring Chefs: What advice would you give to young chefs aspiring to bring traditional cuisine to modern dining experiences?
Become a master of the techniques and the traditional recipes, these will give the skills you need to build the menus you want to offer.
Personal Favourites: Do you have a personal favourite dish from your menu, and what makes it special to you?
It’s the Moussaka, I love it. Each ingredient elevates the other.
Dream Food Destination:If you could jump on a plane tomorrow and travel anywhere in the world just to eat, where would you go and what would you order?
Japan, and I would order Fois Gras Nigiri, which is sushi rice (lightly flavoured with soy sauce, vinegar and wasabi) and topped with sautéed fois gras. C’est sensationelle.
Hidden Gems:What’s one UK restaurant or eatery that you think deserves more attention?
Actually this would have to be our friend Laurent who is a private chef. He is very modest but the food he cooks is sublime. Contact me for his details.
Home Comforts:When you’re not working, what’s your ultimate comfort food at home?
Steak Frites with my son Thomas. And that would be a rib-eye steak.
Food Markets & Inspiration: Do you enjoy visiting food markets when you travel? Any memorable ones that inspired a dish?
I can’t go away without visiting a food market! Our Smoked Haddock Linguine with Lobster Sauce came from a recent visit to La Rochelle food market. The fresh fish and shellfish counters were incredible and I wanted to combine flavours from each.
Culinary Bucket List: Is there a dish or cuisine you haven’t cooked yet but would love to master?
Yes, Japanese. I will cook there one day.
Quick-Fire Round
Just for fun — answer in a word or two!
- Sweet or savoury? Savoury
- Butter or olive oil? Butter
- Croissant or pain au chocolat? Pain au Chocolat
- Most overrated ingredient? Saffron
- Most underrated vegetable? Celeriac
- Red or white wine with cheese? Red, of course!
- Truffle – love it or leave it? Love it
- If you weren’t a chef, you’d be…? Dog trainer
- Desert island ingredient? Caviar
- What’s always in your fridge at home? Brie
Loved what you heard? Now’s the time to try Bistro Chef meals for yourself. Head over to 5ADayBox and stock up and with 10% off until the end of May using code Bistochef
For catering customers please get in touch on 01380 860968 to discuss your options and a sample pack.
