Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a Belmond Hotel
Great Milton, United Kingdom
⭐2 Stars
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
You cannot help but fall in love with this iconic country house restaurant. As its name suggests, the seasons lead the way: wander the grounds and you’ll discover an amazing array of plants, as well as a 2,500 strong orchard. Raymond Blanc's protégé, Luke Selby, now heads up the kitchen and, while the skilfully executed cooking has a classic French base, it also comes with a light, modern touch. The multi-course set menus are exquisitely balanced; flavours are intense, combinations are sophisticated, and the presentation shows an eye for detail.
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
Cloche Tunnels Cultivation of Courgette Flowers
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons uniquely grows hundreds of courgettes specifically for their flowers in cloche tunnels, using the Milano di Nero variety which produces large blooms. The kitchen can use up to 200 courgette flowers a day during summer, highlighting an unusual focus on edible flowers in their cuisine.
Mushroom Valley with Laboratory Cultivation
The restaurant features a dedicated Mushroom Valley, an earthy ravine lined with silver birch and oak, where edible fungi such as shiitake, maitake, and parasol mushrooms are grown. These mushrooms are cultivated in a laboratory setting, requiring significant time and patience to meet the restaurant’s menu demands, showcasing an unconventional blend of natural and scientific cultivation methods.
Orchard of Unusual British Fruit Species
For over 20 years, Le Manoir has been developing orchards filled with unusual British fruit species, planting some 800 apple and pear trees along with a fruit hedge containing sloes and plums. This project uses traditional British sustainable gardening methods, emphasizing rare and heritage fruit varieties rarely found in modern orchards.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
The most honored or signature ingredients at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a Belmond Hotel, Great Milton, reflect the restaurant's commitment to organic, free-range, and artisanally produced produce, much of which comes from their own gardens and heritage orchard.
Key Ingredients and Their Significance
Fresh Garden Vegetables: The restaurant uses a variety of fresh vegetables grown in their own potager garden. These vegetables are central to dishes like the Assiette Anne-Marie, which celebrates simplicity and purity by showcasing the best garden ingredients treated with respect. The Potage aux quat saisons soup also exemplifies this, featuring onion, leek, potato, celery, carrot, celeriac, garlic, and tomatoes, emphasizing freshness and seasonal quality.
Chervil: A delicate herb popular in French cuisine but less known in the UK, chervil is used to finish dishes like the Potage aux quat saisons, adding a subtle, fresh flavor that complements the vegetable base.
Organic and Free-Range Produce: All produce at Le Manoir is organic, free-range, or artisanally produced, underscoring the restaurant's ethical and environmental values. This approach ensures that ingredients are wholesome and of the highest quality, forming the foundation of their gastronomic excellence.
Coffee and Chocolate (for desserts): In signature desserts such as Le Café Crème, coffee and chocolate are key ingredients. This dessert involves multiple patisserie techniques, including coffee parfait, coffee sponge, coffee caramel, chocolate sauce, and ganache, all presented in a chocolate cup. This complex use of coffee and chocolate highlights the restaurant’s innovative dessert craftsmanship.
These ingredients are not only chosen for their quality but also for their connection to the restaurant’s garden and ethical sourcing philosophy, making them signature elements of Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons' culinary identity.