We don't believe in heaven but if we did, we think it might look a lot like Le Manoir. Indeed, if there is a forever after, the elegance, comfort and sheer pleasure of every minute at the Le Manoir makes it a contender for the role for what better ways are there than to spend a day, or an eternity, in the lap of Raymond Blanc’s flagship enterprise. It must be said however that this is not about the food, or rather, not just about the food, because it is not through the lens of food that Le Manoir should be considered, instead, this is the hotel that sets the highest standards across the board to deliver an exceptional customer experience with food being just a single facet.
Heading off the A40 from Oxford, Le Manoir is easy to find. And while the ever busy M40 express route to London gushes exhaust fumes only a mile or so down the road, Le Manoir itself basks in the best of Oxfordshire’s countryside with the noise outside the manor house predominantly blackbirds nesting in the treetops throughout the grounds of the estate. On entering the main car park entrance (there is another reception/valet parking entrance 20 yards further down the road), we were both struck by a more expansive Le Manoir than we had imagined ahead of arrival, and an equally expansive car park, pretty much full despite being the low season of a fading January.
Before you can even survey potential parking spaces however, Le Manoir staff are on hand to look after you, your parking needs and your bags marking the start of when it's time for you to let go and let Le Manoir take the strain. It's about 100 yards from the car park to the reception, your first taste of Le Manoir grounds and your first sighting of the grand old house, but by the time you open the front door to the manor, they're already expecting you and great you by name.
Heading off the A40 from Oxford, Le Manoir is easy to find. And while the ever busy M40 express route to London gushes exhaust fumes only a mile or so down the road, Le Manoir itself basks in the best of Oxfordshire’s countryside with the noise outside the manor house predominantly blackbirds nesting in the treetops throughout the grounds of the estate. On entering the main car park entrance (there is another reception/valet parking entrance 20 yards further down the road), we were both struck by a more expansive Le Manoir than we had imagined ahead of arrival, and an equally expansive car park, pretty much full despite being the low season of a fading January.
Before you can even survey potential parking spaces however, Le Manoir staff are on hand to look after you, your parking needs and your bags marking the start of when it's time for you to let go and let Le Manoir take the strain. It's about 100 yards from the car park to the reception, your first taste of Le Manoir grounds and your first sighting of the grand old house, but by the time you open the front door to the manor, they're already expecting you and great you by name.
In fact, everybody seems to greet you by name, respectfully surname of course but it is a feature of the service that as you pass through Le Manoir, from reception to bar to restaurant, the staff are entirely aware of you, your name, your room and your preferences regardless of whether you've seen that particular staff member before or it is the first time. It's impressive, almost scary as some kind of collective hive intelligence instantly transmits the knowledge of one staff member to every other so that you feel the institution itself knows you, and is always looking for ways to help you. It is without doubt the most impressive level of service we've ever received in the UK hotel space and leaves you in awe on every level at how well considered, from the guests perspective, Le Manoir is run.
The accommodation meanwhile seeks to deliver on a par with the service and it does. We've opted for a suite that we learn is part of the old stables, separate to the main house: it’s beautiful, offering double height windows that afford an oh so relaxing view onto a majestic chestnut tree in the central courtyard outside. At one end of the room, a rustic wooden table for in room dining and at the other, a real fire place holds court, something we'll get full use of this time of year, a compensation for not seeing the magnificent gardens in full bloom. The room seems to have everything else too, from the old (wooden beams and exposed stonework) to the new (no less than three flat screen TVs including one at the end of the bath tub) to the pampering (four varieties of soap in the bathroom, a giant candle and matches by the bath and a sumptuous walk in wardrobe to name just a few). Meanwhile, on arrival, the room already offers a fruit platter, a bottle of Madeira and complimentary water.
The accommodation meanwhile seeks to deliver on a par with the service and it does. We've opted for a suite that we learn is part of the old stables, separate to the main house: it’s beautiful, offering double height windows that afford an oh so relaxing view onto a majestic chestnut tree in the central courtyard outside. At one end of the room, a rustic wooden table for in room dining and at the other, a real fire place holds court, something we'll get full use of this time of year, a compensation for not seeing the magnificent gardens in full bloom. The room seems to have everything else too, from the old (wooden beams and exposed stonework) to the new (no less than three flat screen TVs including one at the end of the bath tub) to the pampering (four varieties of soap in the bathroom, a giant candle and matches by the bath and a sumptuous walk in wardrobe to name just a few). Meanwhile, on arrival, the room already offers a fruit platter, a bottle of Madeira and complimentary water.
Nothing seems too much trouble for the staff and when we’re delivered to our room, our guide impresses upon us that if there's anything that’s wrong or anything that we need we should let them know straight away for a complaint at check out time gives them no opportunity to put it right. And they mean it. Staff at Le Manoir look after you 110% but it feels sincere. In the direction that recent trends have started to move in the UK, staff at Le Manoir take pride in service and in their jobs and our sense was that staff here seek lifelong and rewarding careers in the service industry; it’s very refreshing. And as a small aside, it was also nice to see at Le Manoir that Brits too are now embracing the service community and doing a fine job, we encountered an unusually high number working there during our stay including an English sommelier during our dinner.
After walking the lovely grounds in the fading light of the day and enjoying down time in our room with champagne and a log fire, dinner approached. Before sitting down however, we were invited to tour the wine cellar and kitchens. If you love wine, the cellar was wonderful to see holding something like 900 labels though the real superstars of the wine list like a 1875 Mouton they reportedly have lives in safer places elsewhere. The kitchen meanwhile is vast with the prep area alone being the size of the kitchen at somewhere like The Ledbury. Even here in the kitchen ahead of dinner service, everyone bids you hello, everybody’s nice. We're also amazed at how calm the kitchen is, no shouting, swearing or running, rather, this kitchen exudes professionalism and discipline, it's hard not to be impressed.
After walking the lovely grounds in the fading light of the day and enjoying down time in our room with champagne and a log fire, dinner approached. Before sitting down however, we were invited to tour the wine cellar and kitchens. If you love wine, the cellar was wonderful to see holding something like 900 labels though the real superstars of the wine list like a 1875 Mouton they reportedly have lives in safer places elsewhere. The kitchen meanwhile is vast with the prep area alone being the size of the kitchen at somewhere like The Ledbury. Even here in the kitchen ahead of dinner service, everyone bids you hello, everybody’s nice. We're also amazed at how calm the kitchen is, no shouting, swearing or running, rather, this kitchen exudes professionalism and discipline, it's hard not to be impressed.
After the kitchen tour, we're taken to the lounge for a glass of champagne and canapés and a chance to peruse the menu and pick one of the three options on offer: Decouverte (the tasting menu), Les Classiques (a five course menu of classic Manoir dishes), or a la Carte.
The dining room itself is larger than we'd expected, holding up to 100 covers at maximum capacity; tonight it is still impressively busy for a Monday in January but is still nevertheless cruising at a somewhat lower altitude. As an extension from the original manor house, the dining room is also more modern in its feel combing English, French and Asian influences. Service obeys all the formal norms but equally manages to be relaxed and friendly, a place where the focus is on the customer rather than the restaurant’s own solipsistic grandeur.
The dining room itself is larger than we'd expected, holding up to 100 covers at maximum capacity; tonight it is still impressively busy for a Monday in January but is still nevertheless cruising at a somewhat lower altitude. As an extension from the original manor house, the dining room is also more modern in its feel combing English, French and Asian influences. Service obeys all the formal norms but equally manages to be relaxed and friendly, a place where the focus is on the customer rather than the restaurant’s own solipsistic grandeur.
pre dinner canapes
We start with a salad of pot caught Cornish wild crab, mango and Oscietra caviar. As the start of a tasting menu it's a small portion but perfect in delivering beautiful fresh crab with an enriching mango that sets you up wonderfully for the rest of the meal. Confit of Landais duck liver with rhubarb compote and sour dough toast follows. It's hard to tell what the confit has added to the usual ballontine but it is nice, well seasoned and again in the right quantities.
salad of pot caught Cornish wild crab, mango and Oscietra caviar
Confit of Landais duck liver with rhubarb compote
It's the turn of mackerel next: wild, hand-line caught Cornish mackerel, glazed with honey and soy with pickled mouli and Braeburn apple. This is an outstanding piece of mackerel and just to look at it on the plate, it radiates freshness. Perhaps it's the glaze but there's a sheen to the skin that makes it look though it's minutes out the sea but it doesn't end there as it carries a taste to match, not suffering from an overly fishiness that mackerel can often be prone to. It’s the best dish so far and will remain one of the highlights of the meal.
wild, hand-line caught Cornish mackerel, glazed with honey and soy with pickled mouli and Braeburn apple
Slow cooked organic suckling pig belly, seared hand dived Scottish scallop and black pudding are next. This is probably the dish that worked least well for us. While this dish is we understand a Manoir classic (and we’d see the same combination later in the week at Adam Simmonds), here, the Black pudding, pork belly and scallop on the same plate didn’t come together for us. The flavours were there and bringing together everything on the fork was nice enough with crunch and fat from the belly and depth and warmth from the black pudding but it always struggled to be more than the sum of the parts.
Slow cooked organic suckling pig belly, seared hand dived Scottish scallop and black pudding
Returning to the sea for the next course, we were presented with pan fried wild Cornish line-caught sea bass fillet, seared with creel-caught Scottish langoustine, smoked mashed potatoes and star anis jus. Apparently the smoked mash was Wylie Dufresne's idea from a chef get together some years back and this dish has, in one form or another, featured in Le Manoir’s back catalogue for quite some time we're told. This was another excellent plate with the langoustine tale reminiscent of that served at Noma, the best of ingredients treated with respect. The sea bass too was excellent, cooked of course to perfection. The star anis added an Asian inflection and the dish came together wonderfully.
pan fried wild sea bass fillet, seared with Scottish langoustine, smoked mashed potatoes and star anis jus
The final savoury was roasted loin of venison, aigre-doux sauce with bitter chocolate, braised chestnuts, celery heart and truffled chicory. Venison seems ubiquitous on top end menus currently and more often than not over the past year it has been mostly over cooked though Le Manoir would make no such error and it arrived at the table beautifully cooked and deeply flavoured. As such, it delivered a main course that was certainly good in its own right, better than that delivered by many lesser kitchens but on a par with, rather than surpassing, key rivals.
roasted loin of venison, aigre-doux sauce with bitter chocolate, braised chestnuts, celery heart and truffled chicory
Exotic fruit raviole with kaffir lime leaf and coconut jus has the job of clearing the palate and if perhaps somewhat sweet, it does offer nevertheless luscious refreshment before a serving of seasonal pear Almondine, caramel croustillant, ginger sauce and its own sorbet. A very well balanced dessert, light, with the pear and sorbet refreshing, but the pastry tasty and rich; excellent.
Exotic fruit raviole with kaffir lime leaf and coconut jus
seasonal pear Almondine, caramel croustillant, ginger sauce and its own sorbet
Finally, it was a Macae 62% chocolate marquise with Tonda hazelnut and lemon butterscotch sauce. This is a dessert for the wicked and I totally loved it. We have accused some desserts such as the famous Louis XV at Gauthier as offering a great chocolate taste but one that is too repetitive with each spoon. Here, there are diverse tastes and textures (ranging from crunchy caramelised hazelnuts to super smooth ice cream) that allow for a more complex and satisfying dessert. Top marks here, loved it as I’m sure all chocophiles would.
Macae 62% chocolate marquise with Tonda hazelnut and lemon butterscotch sauce
As a meal, our dinner delivered at the level of our expectations, great food, superbly executed combined with first class service. But with foie gras, scallops, sea bass and venison on the menu, despite the inclusion of the odd twist, it was all on quite safe territory. Le Manoir though we’re sure has a strong sense of its customer base, their likes and preferences and the proposition therefore is most likely tailored towards consistent satisfaction, something that as noted was at the heart of our own expectations.
That night's dinner was not the only opportunity of course to sample Le Manoir’s cooking and we enjoyed both breakfast and dinner the following night in our room. The highlight of breakfast was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, decadently topped with caviar. Both the quality of the salmon and superbly cooked eggs made this a breakfast treat and tasted pristine despite the journey time across the courtyard from the kitchen to our room. Similarly, an order of Beef Bourguignon delivered a slightly non tradition dish (no bacon, shallots, mushrooms, instead cauli, celery and broccoli) but it was absolutely superb with an amazing densely dark beef over which an equally dark sauce was poured which combined was probably the best of its kind we’ve tasted.
That night's dinner was not the only opportunity of course to sample Le Manoir’s cooking and we enjoyed both breakfast and dinner the following night in our room. The highlight of breakfast was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, decadently topped with caviar. Both the quality of the salmon and superbly cooked eggs made this a breakfast treat and tasted pristine despite the journey time across the courtyard from the kitchen to our room. Similarly, an order of Beef Bourguignon delivered a slightly non tradition dish (no bacon, shallots, mushrooms, instead cauli, celery and broccoli) but it was absolutely superb with an amazing densely dark beef over which an equally dark sauce was poured which combined was probably the best of its kind we’ve tasted.
Before we departed, the hotel kindly let us view other available suites in case we’d like something different for a future visit. All suites at Le Manoir are themed and very different to each other including French, Italian and Oriental designs; all were lovely. Pictures are shown below.
It’s easy to go on about Le Manoir because there are so many things they do well, little things and big things alike. Every detail is important to them and the sum of those efforts is truly remarkable and becomes in its totality so much more than merely the sum of the parts, providing a unique experience to guests. However, had we visited Le Manoir only to eat in the restaurant, leaving when the meal was finished, we would be impressed with the food for sure but would depart believing that this was a restaurant that sits comfortably with its two star peers but not beyond them. Visit Le Manoir though for the total experience of staying at the hotel and enjoying the full depth of their offering and Le Manoir is in our experience without peers, it really is that good.
Many who go to Le Manoir will do so for a special occasion, dipping deep into savings to do so, for let’s be fair, it doesn’t come cheap. But making you feel special is very much what Le Manoir excels at and when the time came to check out and for us to say goodbyes, despite it being only a few days, it felt like we were leaving old friends. If you have a list of ‘things to do before you die’, the addition of staying at Le Manoir to the list is a must, for that way, you’re guaranteed to get a glimpse of heaven before you do.
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Many who go to Le Manoir will do so for a special occasion, dipping deep into savings to do so, for let’s be fair, it doesn’t come cheap. But making you feel special is very much what Le Manoir excels at and when the time came to check out and for us to say goodbyes, despite it being only a few days, it felt like we were leaving old friends. If you have a list of ‘things to do before you die’, the addition of staying at Le Manoir to the list is a must, for that way, you’re guaranteed to get a glimpse of heaven before you do.
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