Over the past few years Alain Roux, son of Michel, has been working his way towards the rôle of Chef-Patron as Michel has devoted more of his time to writing, speaking and relaxing. The inspectors have come and gone, and come and gone again, and the three stars remain, and yet there are new dishes on the menu, developed by Alain according to his own enthusiasms and research, many of which do not conform to the stereotype of French cooking.

Alain served a fearsome 15-year apprenticeship under his father's tutelage, starting in his teens with a maître-pâtissier in Paris, then various restaurants in the south and east of France before the Élysée Palace during military service (rather different from the British Catering Corps!) This was followed by stints at the Château de Montreuil and establishments in Burgundy before he joined the Waterside as a relatively humble demi chef de partie in the 1990s. He worked his way up to sous chef under the long-serving executive head chef Mark Dodson, and when Mark left in 2001 to become head chef at the fabulous country house hotel that is Cliveden in Taplow, Michel decided that Alain's moment had come. He stepped into the role of Chef Patron and, like all sons, immediately wanted to begin stamping his own individuality on the legendary menu created by his father.

He loves challenges, working with products from other places, creating new pairings. How can I revitalize salmon? Maybe in papillote with pine needles, served with deep-fried bok choy and a star-anise sauce! And what about something new with scallops? Maybe sliced baby artichokes infused with honey, orange and lemon, topped with roasted scallops sprinkled with fresh crab! Alain also turned his hand to his father's favourite discipline - desserts - although once again in a creative and rather "off-the-wall" style, choosing to deal with what many chefs regard as "difficult ingredients."

The changing of the guard is complete, and "the son" will continue to rise over The Waterside Inn!