Chef Luke Selby marked his return to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons at the end of 2022 to take up the role of executive chef, having started his career at Raymond Blanc’s renowned Oxfordshire hotel and restaurant in 2009. Back then, Selby started as commis chef, rising to sous chef over the next six years, before leaving to work in restaurants in London and Tokyo, but now he’s back where he began and clearly loving it.
These days Selby comes as a package, bringing his brothers Theo and Nathaniel with him (the three worked together at Evelyn’s Table in Soho before moving to Oxfordshire) and the trio have set about breathing some fresh life into the menus at the traditional countryside manor. Working alongside chef pâtissier Benoit Blin, who has worked at the property for more than two decades, and under the watchful eye of Blanc himself, Selby has brought his trademark modernity to the kitchens while remaining respectful to all that has come before him.
Menus at the Le Manoir include a la carte, which currently feature reimagined classics from the restaurant in honour of having held two Michelin stars for 40 years, a plant-based lunch menu, and a seven-course dinner that also features reinvented dishes from the past. Dishes are unashamedly French by design but don’t necessarily stick to the rule book - Orkney scallops baked in their shells are served with courgette, Thai basil and kaffir lime; and the menu kicks off with a chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) with langoustine and dashi - but you can expect lots of ingredients from Le Manoir’s large kitchen garden in more classic French offerings.
For 40 years Le Manoir has been a double-starred restaurant, and during that time standards have never slipped. With Selby and his brothers it has opened a new chapter and remains as fresh as it has ever been.
These days Selby comes as a package, bringing his brothers Theo and Nathaniel with him (the three worked together at Evelyn’s Table in Soho before moving to Oxfordshire) and the trio have set about breathing some fresh life into the menus at the traditional countryside manor. Working alongside chef pâtissier Benoit Blin, who has worked at the property for more than two decades, and under the watchful eye of Blanc himself, Selby has brought his trademark modernity to the kitchens while remaining respectful to all that has come before him.
Menus at the Le Manoir include a la carte, which currently feature reimagined classics from the restaurant in honour of having held two Michelin stars for 40 years, a plant-based lunch menu, and a seven-course dinner that also features reinvented dishes from the past. Dishes are unashamedly French by design but don’t necessarily stick to the rule book - Orkney scallops baked in their shells are served with courgette, Thai basil and kaffir lime; and the menu kicks off with a chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) with langoustine and dashi - but you can expect lots of ingredients from Le Manoir’s large kitchen garden in more classic French offerings.
For 40 years Le Manoir has been a double-starred restaurant, and during that time standards have never slipped. With Selby and his brothers it has opened a new chapter and remains as fresh as it has ever been.
