I enjoyed a stay at Raymond Blanc's lavish Oxfordshire hotel – and the food was dreamier than I imagined

There are birthdays and then there are BIRTHDAYS and my mother's milestone called for something truly extraordinary. There was only one place for it…the most elegant of celebrations at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, which is hitting a new chapter of its own. Raymond Blanc's iconic Oxfordshire hotel will soon be closing in January for refurbishment, so there's still time to enter through those legendary doors and enjoy the incredible gardens, lavish bedrooms and of course the food. Le Manoir has held two Michelin stars for the past 40 years and Raymond is the pioneer for garden-to-plate philosophy. 

With zero waste, foraging and seasonal eating, it's been ahead of the curve for decades and has not lost its magic. The sun was shining on the honeyed stone façade when we arrived and the first thing which greeted us was the fantastic service. The staff are next level attentive at this haven of gastronomy and gardens. 

© Jessica Callan

Offering us champagne or something softer, we were led to our sumptuous suite. We haven't shared a room in decades, but we were soon giggling at the thought of us in single beds next to one another. Waiting for us in our suite was a homemade lemon drizzle cake, a bottle of chilled vintage champagne and a plate of exquisite cookies. Even better, guests are left discreet boxes with which to take home any of the baked goodies which you somehow hold back from wolfing down. 

© Paul Wilkinson

But we knew we had an epic supper that evening, so nibbled the divine morsels before going on an exploration around the famous grounds. It truly is the true heart of Le Manoir with a two-acre wide kitchen garden of organic vegetables and herbs, a Japanese garden with a tea house, heritage garden, English water garden, orchards and glasshouses.

© Chris Terry

We dressed up for supper and guests can enjoy a pre-dinner drink in the bar or head straight to the restaurant, which is where we opted to go right to the main attraction. 

© Poppy Thorpe

© Chris Terry

There are tasting menus, but we opted for the three-course a la carte – Les saveurs du Manoir by Raymond Blanc, Luke Selby, and Benoit Blin. We had been pre-warned that the bread basket was like nothing we would ever experience and to go easy on it in order to make space for the actual meal, but good grief, it was hard to say no and we ended up trying four different sorts of dream carbs by the gods – my favourite was the tomato and bacon bread.

Next up were some amuse bouchées, including a French onion soup which was utterly divine and beef tartare, amongst other sensational morsels. We both shared the risotto of garden vegetables and herbs and garden beetroot terrine and horseradish sorbet for starters. So simple, but so chic and flavours like we have never had before. Next up my mother had the Devonshire Creedy Carver duck, fennel, poached blackberry and fig, while I opted for the handmade gnocchi, sweetcorn, hazelnuts and girolles. Also on offer were poached Cornish turbot, peas and lemon verbena, Assiette of Middle White suckling pig, turnip, mustard and garden quince or A4 Kagoshima Wagyu, miso, onion and pickled kohlrabi for a supplement.

© Ben Anders

We are both sugar fiends so the pudding was high on our agenda. Mum had the raspberry soufflé, Sakura tea and raspberry sorbet which takes 20 minutes to prepare so order it at the start of your meal, and I had the Apricot almondine, caramel croustillant, almond milk ice cream. Our fabulous waiter discreetly brought over a bowl of sorbet with a candle on it for my mother and thankfully for her, there was no choir of singing staff blasting out happy birthday. She has zero main character energy! 

© Ben Anders

We slowly retreated back to our suite and I treated myself to a bath in the marble bathroom with their homemade, heavenly lavender-infused bath salts. The beds were beyond comfortable and somehow in the morning, we still had room for breakfast. We had been tipped off by the staff that the homemade hash browns were to die for so who were we to say no. I still dream about the crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, doorstop-thick hash browns to this day. There were also bowls of fresh fruit, yoghurt and incredible pastries. 

© Ben Anders

For those who want to indulge, there was even a Bloody Mary station to make your own morning heart starter. Le Manoir may be about to close its doors to prepare for the next chapter, there is still time to experience such a timeless, chic and utterly magnificent grande dame. Raymond will be moving to the role of Founder and Lifetime Ambassador and we can't wait to see what lies ahead for this legendary hotel and which will no doubt remain at the forefront of timeless luxury hospitality. 

Accommodation at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, a Belmond Hotel, in a Deluxe Room costs from £980 for one night, including breakfast (based on two sharing).