Why I turned my famous father into a pot-bellied worm called Henri: Raymond Blanc's son on the enchanting character he hopes will teach children.

Published 13:30 on 28 Aug 2013

If Olivier Blanc felt a frisson of trepidation when he told his father Raymond about his new project, it would be quite understandable.

There was nothing controversial about the topic; indeed encouraging children to eat healthily from a young age is a subject close to both mens hearts.

But telling one of the worlds most celebrated chefs that he had been reborn as Henri Le Worm, the pot-bellied star of a new iPad app, was hardly a palatable prospect – even for his own son.

Thankfully, Raymond, 63, saw the funny side and quickly contributed ten recipes to the character who he had unwittingly inspired.

He was very good, Olivier says, laughing. I had no idea what his reaction would be as the male ego can be a very fragile thing!

But as soon as Id explained about Henri, he was 100 per cent behind him.

The whole idea is to reconnect kids with food and nature and I know thats something he is very passionate about.

Henri, who lives in the magical Forest of Plenty alongside a host of animated friends, was created eight years ago by Olivier and his then girlfriend the Casualty actress Charlotte Salt.

Id seen an image of a politicians head put on the body of a worm, he says. And I thought it was interesting.

From there well Ive always been very close to my father and hed had a huge influence on the way I thought about food and our relationship with what we eat.

I certainly used some of his characteristics when I created Henri.

Olivier and Charlotte had originally envisaged a childrens book. But Olivier recently saw the potential of an interactive iPad app featuring his cooking worm extraordinaire.

Set primarily in a walled garden full of produce and a colourful kitchen, children follow Henri’s journey as he hunts for his missing cookbook.

The characters are narrated by actor Simon Pegg and users are encouraged to sing along to the soundtrack.

Changing the format also means the story is crammed with easy-to-access facts about food, bugs and insects.

Then there are Raymonds recipes including ricotta and spinach croquettes, mayonnaise mouse and cherry clafoutis – which means users can apply knowledge from the virtual world in their own kitchen.

The idea is that even very young children could play with the app on their own and then help their parents with preparing some of the dishes.

Theres a growing sense that may children have no idea where food comes from, Olivier says.

They eat unhealthily and have a very poor body image. There is no way that anyone can solve that problem alone.

But I hope that this can be a piece of the jigsaw. Its all about imagination and letting children learn in a fun way.

Olivier, who is based in London, intends to bring out an app starring Henri and featuring a new story four times a year to coincide with each new season.

Henri Le Worm and the The Missing Cookbook - is available from the iTunes store now and costs £2.99. Find out more at www.henrileworm.com