Established 1984 Head chef Raymond Blanc Rating | Current owner(s) Belmond Food type French cuisine Street address Great Milton | |
 | ||
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons ("Four Seasons Manor", a.k.a. Le Manoir) is a luxury hotel-restaurant in the village of Great Milton near Oxford, in Oxfordshire, England. It is located in an historic manor house near the church that was visited by Oliver Cromwell. The hotel is part of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.. which in March 2014 introduced a new brand name, Belmond. At this point the hotel changed its name to Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.
Contents
Description
The restaurant has two Michelin stars, as well as scoring 9/10 in the Good Food Guide It is capable of serving 260 guests per day It is owned by Belmond and run by the leading French chef Raymond Blanc. The gardens are used to grow fresh food for the restaurant. A helipad is available for clients.
The restaurant was used as filming location in the BBC 2 television programme The Restaurant, where it has been used for challenges as well as Raymond Blanc's "room of truth".
The restaurant kitchen has trained 28 Michelin starred chefs so far, with its basic training programs for its chefs lasting approximately 2.5 years. Each chef spending 6 months on each "section" in the kitchen. Chefs that stay longer than the initial 2.5 years of training then go on to learn the management side of the business.
Chefs trained at Le Manoir
Many notable chefs and restaurateurs were mentored by or worked for Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir, including:
Reception
Restaurant critic Jay Rayner visited Le Manoir for the first time in 2013. Whilst he described it as possibly the most expensive restaurant in Britain, he praised the set up including the kitchen garden. Regarding the food, he praised a "pitch-perfect" beetroot terrine, which was served with a horseradish sorbet quenelle. He wondered at the skill involved in creating a dessert of poached meringue and fried apricots inside a globe of nougatine. He said that while he couldn't justify or excuse the expense, the meal was fabulous.