A short break in middle England
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Last week we went to stay near Buckingham wth friends Anna and
John to celebrate Moira's birthday. She had long wanted to have
lunch at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, which is
near Oxford, just 30 minutes from Buckingham. It is a world
famous restaurant which has built a reputation for sourcing the
best produce avaiable including most ot its own vegetables and
fruit from its own 2 acre garden ajloining the restaurant.
www.belmond.com/le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons-oxfordhire/
The main house includes a restaurant, reception area and
lounge and the orangery is also a restaurant where we
dined
Moira and Anna strolling in the the vegetable
garden
We went expecting the highest standards which were more than
satsified by the warmth of the welcome we received, the relaxed
atmosphere. the attentive. impeccable service and of course the
food and wine, the like of which we have never experienced.
We took the 5 course tasting menu with wines selected to complement
each course. Exch plate of food and wine was explained and when we
came to the cheese course all of which were sourced direct from the
producers in France and the UK it was pure theatre! The overall
impression was of love on a plate and in a glass and an exquisite
blending of flavours, textures, aromas and colours. In addition
what struck us was how simple and fresh each dish was beling the
skill and care that went into each dish.
A selection of some of the dishes we enjoyed, all plates
immaculately composed. It was interesting how frequently the humble
radish in various forms turned up in the dishes.
The master of cheese gives a masterclass! He absolutely
loved hs job.
And a plateful of his finest selections to enjoy with
celery figs and grapes. When asked what the French enjoyed with
cheese he said, rather tersely in true Gallic fashion -
BREAD!!
Coffees and petit fours were taken on the lawn in much
better weather than had been forecast
After nearly 4 hours at the table we took a tour of the gardens
(almost as much of a highlight for me as what we had experienced in
the restaurant!)
In the polytunnels and greenhouses a considerable
range of micro greens were being grown
Some superb statues of cranes in the Japanese Garden
perfectly captured the spirit of the place
And this brilliant design using more statuary, created
an otherworldly effect
Needless to say Moira had a wonderful day and had a signed copy
of cookbook by Raymond Blanc and birthday card to take home
with her as momentos of a special day.
I can't wait for Moira to get started on these
recipes!!
But all too soon it was time to go home as Moira, Anna
and John made their way to the waiting executive car. Well why not
it was a day of unashamed luxury.
After Monday's stellar experience it was going to be difficult
to match it but we chose to keep the Manor theme going when we
visited Coton Manor in nearby Northamptonshire and what a great
decision it turned out to be. The house and gardens have been in
the same family for almost 100 years and have that comfortable
feeling that comes with age and the benefit of continuity, each
generation building onto what the earlier ones had created. The
house in golden yellow stone and the 10 acres of immaculate and
supremely planted gardens are as good as any I have ever seen
anywhere and that is saying something! when you think of all the
gardens we have visited over the last 40 years or so. www.cotonmanor.co.uk
Coton Manor at the start of the recommended route around
the gardens
The small lake which is home to a wide assortment of
wildfowl
The summerhouse and terrace and some of the 100 large
pots of tender plants used to great effect all over this part of
the gardens. All of them absolutely immaculate with not a leaf or
flower past its best
Quite an unexpected sight to see this pair of flamingoes
grazing on the lawns untroubled by all the visitors. This garden is
so perfect that even the border plants colour coordiate with the
birds!!
And from the exotic to this simple old stone urn with a
blend of carefully chosen semprevivums. This is typical of the sort
of juxtapositions that take place all over the gardens and which
makes them so interesting.
Lovely lunch, using local ingredients, an unbeleivably
comprehensive nursery packed with many of the plants seen in the
gardens and a long chat with the owners who clearly love the place
and still are very hands on in so many ways. It is a long jourmey
but one I am certain we will make again soon! We spent 5 hours
there which just flew by,
Part of the well stocked nursery sitting comfortably
amongst old brick built outhouses
And so to our last day - how to finish it off in style -why not
another Manor? This time something entirely different: the huge
edifice and grounds of Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury in
Bucks. Still owned by the Rothschild family of banking and the wine
trade fame, and philanthropists around the world, but leased to The
National Trust. A huge visitor atrraction it has its own bus
service to ferry visitors from the endless car parks to the Manor
and grounds. www.waddesdon.org.uk
Look at the scale of just part of the manor with Moira
trying to stand tall!!
Carpet bedding with 11.000 succulent plants designed by
computer and nursery grown as a carpet to be laid out on a
pre-prepared bed. Here the bed is being piched out to keep it
dwarf.
Built in the style of a French chateau the craftsmanship defies
belief and is just so unbelievably ornate. This continues into the
formal gardens which are all in a style that perfectly matches the
Manor. Not my style but undeniably impressive and exhibiting the
highest level of horticultural skills to keep the displays in such
a pristine condition. Visitors from all over the world including an
American gentleman from Boston with whom I shared some good
conversation and some very elegant Chinese.
Further away from the house is this 8 feet robin
manufactured on a stout metal frame using succulents to provide the
colours. It takes 3 gardeners over a week to complete
it.
Then onto real birds: there is a large number of
aviaries containing a wide variety of birds from all over the world
in superb condition, some of which are being bred to restore to the
wild where native populations are being threatened. A lot of the
work is being funded by the Rothschild Foundation
One of the aviary residents is this striking bird about
the size of a blackbird whos name iI did not record . However it
had the sweetest, loudest and longest lasting song
This one I did record as it is a quite rare south Asian
bird called the "Rothshilds Mynah" and is one of those that the
Foundation is hoping to return to the wild .
And just as we were leaving we came across this
wonderful creation, one of a pair, formed from Chateau Lafitte
bottles from the famous Rothschild wine, designed by a
Portugese artist, Each of the bottles has its own LED light
for night time events at the Manor. And the elegant Chinese
lady was dressed perfectly to compement the sculpture
Only a short break but so many great memories to bring home with
us and to sustain us as we returned to our daily routines at
Cilgwyn.