Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Courtesy Mattia Aquila

Long before “sustainability” and “farm-to-table” were little more than culinary buzzwords, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons was already implementing both concepts in a honey-hued corner of the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire. Four decades later, the gastronomy-focused getaway, now part of the Belmond portfolio, continues its pioneering approach to agricultural and culinary excellence, while remaining grounded in nature. 

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A self-taught chef, Blanc earned two Michelin stars at Les Quat’Saisons—his first restaurant—in 1981. Still, he wasn’t quite satisfied. “I longed for something more—a home for my guests, a place where every detail mattered,” Raymond Blanc, chef patron of Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, tells Observer. “The moment I first laid eyes on this estate in the Cotswolds, I fell in love and saw an opportunity to bring l’art de vivre [the art of living] to life.” Comprising 27 acres of gardens, orchards and ancient........

© Observer