Visiting the Gardens at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons. Part 3 – Polytunnels, Compost, The Orchard & Tasting

“Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons is the fulfillment of a personal vision, a dream that one day I would create a hotel and restaurant in harmony where my guests would find perfection in food, comfort, service and welcome.” Raymond Blanc.

Having been drawn down the famous lavender path upon arrival, walked around the Manor and on into the vegetable garden in part one.

Watched the swan in the lily pond, meandered around the Japanese water garden, before checking out the Herb and Heritage garden, in part two.

We now sit, poised on the recycled champagne bottle bench wondering, what does Raymond Blanc grow in his polytunnels?

Oh, it’s starting to rain, best go and find out!

The Polytunnels

I’m sorry to say the first one was a little underwhelming, courgettes! I say this as someone that grows them myself, and if any of you do too, you’ll know that by this time of year, you’re a little fed-up of them. They are a fabulous crop and by October we have a freezer full of them in all different guises, including cakes and lasagne.

I’m guessing that these are in here for one or two reasons. Probably to get an earlier crop, than the field of them growing outside, but possibly to protect the ornate and edible flowers. I’m sure Raymond and his team can do wonderful things with a courgette flower!

The second polytunnel however, did not disappoint! It is my favourite bit of the garden.

Walk in with your eyes closed and sniff the air. The undeniable smell of Tomatoes!

As regular readers know, I love my homegrown tomatoes. They are the first crop I ever grew and they are my favourite.

Once you’ve finished sniffing all of that tomato essence in, open your eyes to rows of delicious fruits.

Walking down the paths there are many different varieties, beefsteak, plum, cherry and all colours from yellow, to red, through to black.

Imagine my excitement to find that Raymond is growing two of the same varieties as me this year.

‘Rosella’, which I grow every year. A small strangely coloured tomato, dark browny red, with a divine complex flavour.

And ‘Tigerella’, which I’ve grown for the first time this year, thanks to my niece (she is also crazy about growing food and would have loved it here). The fruits look fabulous with the stripes and taste like an old fashioned tomato – this is always a good thing.

I find a tomato called ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’, which also reminds me of a variety I grow called ‘Brandywine’. A wonderful flavoured heritage, beefsteak tomato with ridges on the outside and a firm flesh, perfect for sauces.

I spy a huge yellow tomato called ‘Yellow Perfection’. I grow ‘Sungold’ every year but it’s a small cherry sized yellow tomato, I’ve never seen a large yellow one. As I like to grow a couple of new varieties every year, this ones now firmly on my list.

Down another row we see colourful long sweet peppers hanging, gradually changing from green to yellow and green to red.

It’s no surprise to see a healthy row of basil growing alongside the pepper plants. With organic gardening you do everything you can to keep pests away and basil is renowned for repelling pests like white fly.

It’s very common to grow basil next to tomatoes as its reputed to improve the flavour of the tomatoes. Well they certainly go well together in the kitchen!

Compost

Coming out of the rear side of the polytunnels, there’s a large farm gate in front of us, I wonder where this leads to?

Passing through it, making sure to shut it properly behind us, you never know what it might be keeping in, or even keeping out!

It feels like we’ve escaped into open countryside. Breaking out of the confines of the structured garden we now have open fields in front of us.

It’s here that we find one of the most important parts of the garden, the compost heap! Not pretty, but essential to the well being of everything that grows here. The original recycling, before the phrase had even been invented.

It makes me laugh to see a seat under a large old tree. I may be very keen on composting, but I’m not sure that I’d want to sit right by it.

It really is super to have such unfettered access to all areas of the garden, to be able to see the backstage workings is a real treat.

Next stop the orchard!

The Orchard

Remember that gate we were careful to close? Well we’re now confronted by a ‘Limousin Bull’!

Luckily it’s just a life size sculpter, crafted out of willow by Emma Stothard, so no need to run.

We can now see row upon row of fruit trees. Approximately 2,500 have been planted over the last seven years.

In Raymonds latest book ‘The Lost Orchard’, he describes how he had a dream of creating an orchard filled with old British heritage varieties and French varieties from his childhood, well he’s certainly done that!

The orchard produces about 30 tonnes of fruit for his kitchen. Mainly apples and pears, including ancient British varieties, many that were almost lost.

Other fruits include Quince, did you know that adding one quince to an apple pie really enhances the flavour. Trust me I’ve tried it!

The list goes on: Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Apricots, Damsons, Sloes, Cherries, Medlars and one I could compete with, if only my squirrels would leave me a couple, Walnuts.

As well as our fabulous native fruit trees, are six hundred from Raymonds home region Franche-Comté, in eastern France.

Seeing all the different colours, shapes and sizes, really emphasises what a bland choice we now have in the shops. We’ve sadly been brainwashed over the last forty years or more, to favour ascetics over flavour!

I only grow four varieties of apples, plus our neighbours ‘Granny Smiths’ that hang over into our garden – always a bonus! Rather than just rush out and buy any old apple trees, I researched apple varieties that best suited our tastes. We ended up with ‘Sunset’, ‘Winter Gem’, ‘Christmas Pippin’, and ‘Discovery’.

Again I was pleased to ‘discover’ that Raymond also has ‘Discovery’ in his orchard. It’s a very refreshing flavoursome apple, with the benefit of being the first of the season. Plus it’s the most gorgeous shade of red that stands out all around the garden.

Living where we do in beautiful North Wales, we can hardly leave our house without spying a few sheep. So imagine our surprise when we found a couple of Herdwicks in Raymonds orchid! Move over yellow hares, these two are my new favourite garden sculptures!

Having come into the orchard via the tradesman entrance, we are now leaving through the main gateway. This deposits us back into the car-park where we arrived. Heading back towards the manor again, we turn right and just off the main pathway, we find:

Chris Berdshaws wildflower meadow

Back in 2014, one of my favourite gardeners Chris Beardshaw, created a wildflower meadow garden for Raymond.

The area already had some mature Bramley apple trees which make a lovey backdrop. It was funny overhearing someone say, “I thought there was supposed to be a proper orchard, I don’t call this much of an orchard”.

I heard Chris Beardshaw describing how he laid the garden out in a very precise way, because to make a garden look natural is one of the hardest things.

He started with structural plants like grasses, of which you can clearly see Stipa Gigantea ‘Golden Oats’ towering above the rest of the planting. He also used evergreens like ‘Luzula Nivea’ known as snowy woodrush and ‘Luzula sylvatica’ great wood-rush.

Most colour has now gone over, but you can still see a little in the form of, purple asters and purple nepeta (cat mint).

The Food!!!

Well last, but certainly not least is the tasting. The proof of the pudding and all that…

First up was Raymond’s, veg garden on a plate! ‘Le Pistou’ Potage of basil & summer vegetables. Such a fresh dish, but the intensity in the flavours is where the cleverness comes in.

Having walked around earlier seeing these vegetables growing, what an absolute thrill to now be eating them. This is the same thrill that I get from popping into my own kitchen garden and picking organic produce, with zero travel miles – well a few paces obviously!

Of course the chefs here, or should I say magicians, work magic with the ingredients that only years of training and a natural ability to taste can produce.

Every one of the courses was a taste sensation. The smokey langoustine; one of those courgette flowers I was talking about earlier, with a soft sweet scallop & mushrooms; turbot, one of my favourite fish; beef that just melted in your mouth.

Each decorative little blob on the plate is an intense explosion of flavour!

If that first course incorporated all of the flavours of the vegetable garden, then the sixth course was the best of the orchard. ‘La Pomme’ – Compressed apple terrine, caramel, green apple sorbet, absolutely delicious!

Is there room for one more pudding? With chocolate? Ask a silly question! Chocolate crumble, raspberry and beetroot. Oh yes, I’m happy now!

Everything about the dining-room experience was superb, as you would expect. From pre-dinner drinks and canapés, the excellent service and of course the food. What a lucky lady!!!

Stay safe & happy gardening.