Michel Roux Jr appeals for stolen Le Gavroche frog to be returned

Michel Roux Jr is still looking for a “precious” Le Gavroche frog made out of recycled cutlery, which was stolen during a charity dinner held in memory of his late father, Albert Roux, earlier this month.

The dinner, which took place at the restaurant in London’s Mayfair on 1 February in partnership with Hospitality Action, served dishes that Albert Roux had created or would have served during his career.

It also resulted in the sale of one of Albert’s portraits, which Michel said raised “a lot of money”.

Michel told The Caterer: “There was a lovely, positive vibe and feel to the event. Sadly, at the end of the evening, when all of the tables were cleared, one of our table ornaments, the frog, had disappeared.”

The recycled cutlery frogs, of which there is only one now remaining at the restaurant, are part of a wider collection of ornate animals, including lobsters, crabs, pelicans and cockerels (pictured) that have been used as table decorations at Le Gavroche since 1989.

They were created by an artist who lives in the south-west of France, who Michel “stumbled across” and personally approached. He now makes them “bespoke” for the restaurant.

The price of the sculptures starts from roughly £600 for “the tiniest ones” and can go up to £7,000, the chef said.

Michel said: “When I took over from my father [at Le Gavroche] back in 1989, we used to have flowers on the table. I’m really not keen on flowers, so I wanted to do something different [and] found this artist making sculptures out of disused cutlery then ordered a whole load of them.

“This particular frog I think I purchased from him probably around 30 years ago. These sculptures are getting pretty antique as well and very precious. It’s obviously not just the value that’s been lost; it’s also sentimental.”

Two of the sculptures have gone missing in the past, but the chef stressed that “they’ve always come back”.

He added: “It’s very difficult to point the finger at any one particular person and the CCTV doesn’t actually show who or what table may have dropped it into their bag or snuck it under their jumper.

“It’s not for me to start pointing fingers and accusing anybody. I would like the person to have a bit of remorse and just bring it back.”

Michel tweeted about the frog’s disappearance on his social media two weeks ago, writing: “Fabulous evening last night celebrating my fathers life and raising money for Hospitality Action, shame that someone went home with one of our little frogs, hopefully he will find his way back.”

A picture of the frog was attached to the tweet, which has since been embedded into a poster shared on social media with the words “no questions asked for quick return”.

Several chefs have tweeted messages of support, including Sven-Hanson Britt, owner of Oxeye in London, who commented “I hope he’s hopped back….”, as the search for the frog continues.

Michel has asked anyone to get in touch with Le Gavroche on 020 7408 0881 if they know of the whereabouts of the missing frog.