Lunch at the Manoir

A relaxed and lengthy lunch at the Manoir in Oxfordshire

We went for the 9 course (plus extras) 'Menu Decouverte', or tasting menu

Amuse Bouches to start, with a raspberry and sparkling wine cocktail

Then through to the dining room - individual salted and unsalted butter to go with the bread

The first proper course was a chilled escabeche of garden vegetables

An excellent confit of Landais duck liver to follow - it came with a frsh and sharp tasting mango chutney, and was fantastic

A stunning piece of salmon, poached gently in olive oil and served with a sharp apple sauce

A fresh tasting pasta dish - 'agnolotti of ricotta' with artichokes, olives and fresh tomatoes

After lunch we walked around the kitchen gardens, and it was great to see where all the vegetables had come from - it was great to see them growing just metres from the dining room!

The fish course was pan-fried wild sea bass with a seared scallop, cauliflower puree and red wine sauce

The fish was great, and very flavourful, but it was a very rich dish to have at this point in a long tasting menu

The main meat course was quail with a turnip gratin, pink grapefruit and another rich sauce

The food was brilliant, but felt much more classically French than our previous visit a few years ago - lots of concentrated sauces and refined flavours

We were ready for something sweet by this point - this was the dish of the day for me, a strawberry, cream and jelly dish flavoured with Szechuan pepper, basil and mint

Followed by an 'exotic fruit raviole' with a lime leaf and coconut jus - very fresh and light

FInally a chocolate, hazelnut and butterscotch dish, which just about finished us off

A waddle out to the terrace for some soothing mint tea, petits fours and then a stroll around the gardens was a restful end to a great meal