Toot Baldon, French 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”.

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.