La Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

Church Rd, Great Milton, Oxford

Raymond Blanc is a national treasure. For anyone familiar with his recent TV work, you can’t help but buy in to his humour, his charm and the way he drops idiosyncratic French one-liners like ‘bien sûr’ and ‘zut alors!’ every other sentence. It adds romance, authenticity and gives the feel you’re in his French farmhouse kitchen with him. Though what TV fails to acknowledge is that Monsieur Blanc has spent the past 40 years living in Oxfordshire.

It’s this amalgamation of French charm and British tradition that makes Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons so special. Out front, it couldn’t be more British. The honey-hued building that houses the restaurant, bar and some of the rooms is your archetypal English stately home. Out the back, in the extensive gardens, lies arguably the best kitchen garden in the UK, based on those in France. Polytunnels vie with row after row of vegetables for space, while a valley devoted to mushrooms grows fanciable fungi from all over the globe. What makes it all the more special is the sculpture. Among the consumables, you’re accosted by daring modern art, crescendoed by a scarecrow in Blanc’s image that’s as funny as it must be scary for wanton birds.
With this oasis at the end of his pass, head chef Gary Jones is spoilt for choice. While some restaurants bear the flag of ‘seasonality’, Le Manoir has it tattooed across its chest. If it’s in season and suited to British climate, Jones will use it. He won’t add xanthan gum, dehydrate it or pipe it into a disguise to confuse the diner, rather serve it up in the most logical way to put it on a plate for that time of year.

A starter of crab, grapefruit, mango and red pepper sorbet is delicious. Vibrant in colour and as zingy as the Thai papaya salad that we assume it is based on, it’s freshness, acidity, sweetness and umami in utter harmony. Risotto of the garden’s mushrooms does them complete justice, served with Blancian generosity in terms of portion. Wines hark back to Blanc’s heritage, with a French-led list that’s as vast as it can be expensive, with some fascinating bins for the knowledgeable. Indeed, Mr Blanc and his restaurant have every right to national treasure status – be that his native country or adopted one. MS.