French sophistication in the English countryside at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
As we watch the flames flickering in the stone fireplace under a soaring, beamed ceiling it is easy to imagine we are in an elegantly restored barn in the French countryside. We are in fact in rural Oxfordshire. But the feeling is not totally fanciful, as this is the Provence suite at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
With a welter of rules and restrictions having made foreign travel more a challenge than a pleasure in recent months, staying close to home has never seemed more appealing. So it is good to be reminded of the treasures on our doorstep. At the heart of a honey-hued hamlet surrounded by glorious Chilterns countryside and yet only minutes from the M40, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is certainly one of those.
When chef-patron Raymond Blanc opened Le Manoir in 1984, he brought a French sensibility to the English country-house-hotel tradition. Developing a productive garden was one of his early priorities (when an emphasis on provenance was less commonplace) and the pristine grounds have become an attraction in their own right. In summer, they are a riot of colour – from the purple lavender lining the paths, to the golden yellow squashes and leafy greens in the immaculate kitchen garden. But they are lovely in winter, too. The ponds, the Japanese tea garden and even the vegetable beds acquire a bewitchingly ethereal quality as dusk falls. With the light outside fading, the mullioned windows of the 15th-century manor house glow as lamps are switched on inside. In the time of Covid, the feeling of having entered a world apart is especially welcome.
Now part of the Belmond group, Le Manoir still reflects Raymond’s passions. As befits a five-star hotel, each of the hotel’s 32 rooms and suites has an individual look. According to the designers at Todhunter Earle, Raymond’s country of birth and his love of travel have inspired the look of certain suites – hence the exposed beams and stone wall of the Provence suit; or the Oriental panelling and tropical wood in Opium. Thankfully, the references are subtle; the abiding feeling is a comforting combination of luxury and cosiness. And as someone who has been flummoxed by complex hotel lighting schemes and iPad-controlled window treatments, the lack of excessive high techery is a relief. (There is a television in our bathroom but – predictably – I fail to get it to work and decide that the chance to wallow in the enormous bath is a treat in itself.)
Lovely though the setting and the bedrooms are, it is really for its food that Le Manoir is known. The restaurant still holds the two Michelin stars it was awarded three decades ago, testament to the fact that Raymond and Gary Jones (who’s been described as the ‘chefs’ chef’) have never been content to rest on their laurels. I like the way that, over the years, the fundamentals of French haute cuisine have been gently tempered by Asian and Indian influences. The attention to seasonality and locally sourced ingredients also seems to have become more marked (you don’t get much more local than the aforementioned kitchen garden), but the pride taken in immaculate presentation and precise but unstuffy service has not.
Standout dishes in our Les Saveurs du Manoir tasting menu included a subtly truffled poached egg, with mushroom ketchup, mushroom tea and a sweet potato crisp, and the satisfyingly well-rounded combination of venison with cranberry, chestnuts and gingerbread, kale and chicory leaves. A plate of Japanese-influenced canapés and a selection of choc-lolly, chestnut and passion fruit petits fours topped and tailed the seven courses. A flight of wines that took in an Austrian Grüner Veltliner and a Spanish Toro as well as an Alsatian Riesling completed the very special experience.
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Having read an article many years ago that warned of the girth-expanding ‘evils’ of restaurant bread baskets, I often experience a twinge of guilt as I reach for a crisp roll or seeded slice; occasionally I manage to steer clear entirely. Luckily for me, the sublime experience of dining at Le Manoir comes at a start-saving-now price that reflects its high standards. Because it is impossible to resist its exceptional bread – on this occasion, a trio of mashed potato with beer, tomato and garlic, and the crispest of mini baguettes, served with the creamiest of butters.
Prices at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons start at £1,120 a night for a Deluxe room, B&B; Belmond.com
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