Little Milton Restaurant Guide

“Romantic, extravagant, memorable… and expensive” – Raymond Blanc’s “magical” fifteenth-century manor in a quiet village south of Oxford remains the most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll outside of London. For some lucky diners, it’s “an annual pilgrimage” for “a perfect weekend away” – “lunch can take all afternoon with a wander around the glorious garden” and an overnight stay in one of its cosseting suites contributes to the “best experience ever”. Even though it’s actually owned by LVMH nowadays, M Blanc himself is still often on-hand and contributes to a hand-on approach that’s “so professional”. And aficionados say that: “yes, you pay a lot of money; yes, some may find it a little less trendy in its decor and outlook; and yes, the cooking is in a specific style; but, this is an experience in wellbeing and one of life’s treats”. All that said, concerns over “gigabucks” pricing were more in evidence in a year that saw some discontinuities in the kitchen as chef Luke Selby took over from Gary Jones. While most reports still drooled over “outstanding cuisine that’s hard to better”, there were more who – while acknowledging “first-world problems” – found the food “underwhelming, having dreamt about going for years” (“was expecting to be wowed and enchanted like at other top rivals, but I rather found it all rather oversimplistic and non-memorable”). Still, for the majority the verdict remains “an absolute delight from start to finish” – “an indulgent place to dine and stay”.

2022 Review: Despite its weird and wonderful decor, this lavishly decked out hotel not far from Oxford – a fixture of the area for over a quarter of a century – attracts relatively little feedback nowadays. It’s all still positive though, especially when it comes to the Thai dining room (there’s also a more traditional, British one). Service is “very engaged” and the classic twelve-dish sharing menu “well presented and flavoured food that reflects the cuisine”, without being “touristy”.

This characterful pub has a “very pleasant location” in a village five miles from Oxford, and is best enjoyed in summer in the “lovely garden”; with meat from the local Sandy Lane Farm in Tiddington, and game from Oxfordshire estates, the food is “good” by all accounts, and the service “acceptable”.

2022 Review: “Some pubs in the Cotswolds really go above and beyond, and this is one of them” – Steven Sanderson’s 400-year-old thatched village boozer with rooms (and garden) offers “lots of interesting small dishes as well as the usual suspects” (notably grass-fed British steak).

This “very nice old village pub” has been transformed into an “authentic French restaurant” by “fabulous hosts” Antoine & Camille Chretien, who named it after their son. It’s a “lovely venue” that “stands out in the area” for its “superb cuisine” – no mean achievement when the next door village is host to Raymond Blanc’s famous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.