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REVIEW: Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Raymond Blanc's Michelin-starred restaurant can teach trendy dining upstarts a thing or two

Unlike Miley Cyrus, some things in life improve immeasurably with age. Men, for example, and leather boots.

And the same can be said of a small number of restaurants. While trendy pop-ups and “no reservations” dining may capture today’s culinary zeitgeist, there are a few establishments that will always be in demand.

Enter Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, an iconic two-Michelin starred restaurant and boutique hotel in Great Milton near Oxford, and the shining jewel in the crown of celebrity chef Raymond Blanc’s gastronomic empire.

Yahoo Lifestyle headed to the countryside estate to find out why Le Manoir is still considered one of the UK’s top foodie destinations after almost a quarter of a century.

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A gastronomic treat

Let’s get this out of the way now: Le Manoir ain’t cheap. Plump for the tasting menu, a glass of Champagne on arrival, the standard wine flight to accompany each course (it would be an insult to the food to decline), coffee, then add a tip on to that, and we’re easily talking £300 per head. And that’s before you even cross the threshold of one of the 32 rooms and suites. Did I also mention it’s an Orient Express hotel? These guys are the Carlsberg of luxury accommodation.

That said, unless you’re a mining magnate with considerable shares in Apple, a weekend break or even a meal at Le Manoir is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it’s one very much worth saving up for.

Reassuringly, the clientele were far from besuited CEOs slapping each other heartily on the back over their FTSE 100 rankings while necking vintage Dom Perignon like tap water. Instead the dining room consisted of parents whose grown-up children had treated them to an anniversary meal, or families celebrating a graduation or big birthday. In order to get maximum enjoyment out of your visit, simply accept that you’ll be eating lentils for two months beforehand and then surrender yourself to the experience.

Home-grown flavour

Arrive a little early to give you time to wander around the grounds - they’re pretty spectacular and the last thing you’ll want to do after your seven-course meal will be perambulate. Keep an eye out for the Japanese tea garden, the 16th century English water garden and ‘Mushroom Valley’ – with seven different types of mushroom being cultivated.

A falcon making a bid for freedom from a local birds of prey centre led us to the organic herb and vegetable plot, which supplies 90 varieties to the restaurant from spring through to autumn. It was packed with bushy kale, fat globe artichokes and giant purple sprouting broccoli, all ripe for the picking. Local foods that are in season are at the heart of Blanc’s culinary ethos and the menu at Le Manoir is determined weekly by what’s ready to eat at that time.

Eating under the stars

Dining the Michelin way can be an unnerving experience. There’s a level of attentiveness to the service that can sometimes be a bit, well, off-putting. Yet, the warmth of the staff here and the easy charm of the surroundings will soon help you settle in.

The truth is it’s hard not to relax and enjoy the ride at Le Manoir. Despite the French accents and pristine linen tablecloths, the setting is reassuringly rural English, all clipped lawns, bronze sculptures and open fires.We enjoyed a glass of house Champagne and canapes in the lounge, tastefully decorated in a palette of neutrals and charcoals, with big, squishy sofas. For the main event, we were led to the conservatory overlooking the gardens, where we were treated to classic French cooking at its finest.

To start was a delicately spiced cauliflower veloute served with a scallop, cooked to perfection with a neatly browned top - undoubtedly the stand-out dish for me. Next up was a confit of Cornish cod, red pepper and chorizo, with a parsley and cockle vinaigrette, perfectly complemented by a Chassagne Montrachet 2011.

The flavours intensified with an earthy truffled hen’s egg with wild mushrooms and Jabugo ham, while the rusticity of winter was elegantly captured in the main of roast quail, butternut squash, red wine and cinnamon.Comte cheese, served in ‘three stages of maturation’, followed before two refreshing puddings of berries and citrus fruits. And the accompanying Couteaux du Layon 2010 worked perfectly.

We finished with coffees and petit fours by the fire back in the lounge then strolled into the local village to digest our meal and the experience, careful not to lose our composure until we had turned out of the gates – we had just eaten at Le Manoir!

Something for the weekend

Alas, London and work commitments beckoned for us, but if you’re splashing out on a meal at Le Manoir, you may as well stay the night. In for a penny and all that.

The bedrooms are the perfect combination of grandeur and intimacy, each decorated according to a different theme. For Zen-like escapism, seek refuge in the all-white and cream Blanc de Blanc suite, or if you’re feeling more daring, the bordello-style Rouge et Noir courtyard room is all decanters and decadence.

In summer, break up the eating and lounging with a game of croquet on the lawn or, if you’re keen to improve your skills in the kitchen, book a place at The Raymond Blanc Cookery school, which offers a mixture of residential and evening courses on everything from bread and confectionary to fish and vegetarian.

However you choose to spend your time at Le Manoir, arrive with a hearty appetite and get ready to soak up the experience (and the wine).

Rooms from £515.Visit manoir.com.