Raymond Blanc set to open gardening school at Le Manoir

by XPRESS, 25 May 2017

Named after the Oxfordshire hotel’s charismatic chef and patron, The Raymond Blanc Gardening School will impart secrets and expertise from the team behind the two-acre kitchen garden, which supplies more than 90 varieties of vegetable and 70 types of herb for Blanc’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant.

The school will run under the auspices of Le Manoir's head gardener, Anne-Marie Owens, a seasoned veteran who has worked at the hotel for more than 30 years.

She will oversee a series of full- and half-day courses throughout the summer which will cover such topics as seasonal vegetable growing, organic produce, growing mushrooms and understanding soil.

Drawing from a wealth of experience, the team will take guests through the entire process, from planting and growing to picking and cooking. Course attendees will be encouraged to share their own gardening experiences.

Various specialists and experts who have worked with the hotel over the years will also hold classes on medicinal herbs, pruning fruit trees and gardening for children. Further courses are planned for winter.

“The Raymond Blanc Gardening School at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is the first of its kind in the UK – the only school within a hotel property dedicated to horticulture," says Raymond Blanc.

"Our courses will appeal to those with a keen interest in all things botanical, or seasoned professionals who wish to discuss gardening experiences with Anne-Marie and her team."

Day-long sessions, of which there will be up to three each week from July to October, will start from £185 per person. This will include tuition, morning tea on arrival and a working lunch.

It will be Le Manoir's second venture into the field of education after the well-established Raymond Blanc Cookery School, which similarly offers an insight into the workings behind the hotel restaurant's renowned cuisine.

The announcement of the new gardening school also follows the news that Belmond has partnered with the Royal Horticultural Society to produce a garden for this year's inaugural Chatsworth Flower Show in Derbyshire (taking place June 7-11).

The Belmond design, an immersive experience encapsulating the group's worldwide properties, incorporates Le Manoir's organic vegetable plot, along with the manicured Venetian gardens of Belmond Hotel Cipriani (where Casanova is rumoured to have conducted a number of his romantic trysts).