Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gourmet Inns & Resorts
75
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
A Manor for All Seasons
Oxford, England
A Norman nobleman first built this gray-
and honey-colored stone manor house,
back in the early 1300s. So there's a pecu-
liar justice in the fact that Le Manoir aux
Quat' Saisons should have been brought to
its greatest glory by a Frenchman—in this
case, Raymond Blanc, the inn's owner and
top chef of its world-famous restaurant.
When Blanc opened the Manoir in 1984,
he named it after the award-winning res-
taurant where he'd first established his
reputation in England, in the north Oxford
suburb of Summertown. Blanc had always
yearned to preside over a country-house
hotel, something along the lines of the
provincial restaurant-inns where great
French chefs like Fernand Point, Pierre and
Jean Troisgros, Paul Bocuse, and Bernard
Loiseau had made their names. The idyllic
Oxfordshire village of Great Milton had just
the right ambience, with its stone-and-
stucco cottages and ancient church, and
when the manor house became available,
after the death of its then-owner Lord
Cromwell, Blanc seized the opportunity
and transplanted the Quat' Saisons restau-
rant. Ever since 1990, Le Manoir aux Quat'
Saisons has held two coveted Michelin
stars, the only English country-house hotel
to win such accolades.
As the name promises, Quat' Saisons
has always been all about seasonal menus.
Even though Blanc has yielded day-to-day
cooking responsibilities to his protégé,
executive chef Gary Jones, the kitchen is
still devoted to promoting whatever's
fresh and local. The Manoir's splendid
two-acre kitchen garden grows over 90
different vegetables and 70 types of herbs,
providing much of the produce used in the
kitchens (it's all organic, of course—Blanc
has been on the organic bandwagon since
the late 1980s). The menu is constantly
changing, but expect a definite French
bias, in dishes like confit of foie gras, a
ceviche of Scottish sea scallops and tuna,
or the assiette of suckling pig roasted in its
own juices. While rugged stone walls,
lead-paned casement windows, wood-
paneled salons, and roaring fireplaces
remind you of the manor's heritage, every-
thing is furnished in up-to-date comfort.
Diners can enjoy a three-course luncheon
menu, a five-course prix fixe menu, or a
10-course tasting menu.
The hotel itself has 32 rooms. Individu-
ally decorated by well-known designers
like Michael Priest, Emily Todhunter, and
Trevillon, each is a dazzling showpiece of
styles from frilly Victorian to rustic French
provincial to scarlet opium den. Luxurious
to the max, they're also pricey, best saved
for a special romantic indulgence.
Since 1997, the Manoir has also included
an on-site cooking school, where mem-
bers of Blanc's team teach a full roster of
1-, 2-, or 4-day cooking courses. Classes
cover a range of topics, including fusion
cuisine, bread baking, fish and shellfish,
dinner parties, and—
naturellement
—
garden-to-table cookery.
Great Milton, Oxfordshire (
&
800/845-
4274
in the U.S., or 44/1844/278881;
www.manoir.com).
(
London Heathrow (61km/38 miles).
0
Oxford (19km/12 miles).
