Originally started by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc back in 1984, the now Belmond-owned spot has been one of the UK’s most cherished restaurants.

In the four decades of its existence, Le Manoir has retained its two Michelin stars, including for 2025, making it 41 years in a row.

It is currently closed temporarily, having shut its doors on New Year’s Day (Thursday, January 1, 2026) for a year and a half of refurbishments and renovations.

READ MORE: Cotswolds Distillery crowned best in England after three awards won

Because of this, Le Manoir has lost both of its Michelin stars for the first time in its 42-year history.

This makes The Nut Tree Inn in Murcott near Kidlington the only establishment in Oxfordshire with a Michelin star, having held one since 2008.

The Le Manoir team will be looking to recoup their two star when the hotel and restaurant reopen in the summer of 2027.

In the meantime, old kitchen equipment from the cherished establishment is now up for sale via auction.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson signs exclusive major deal with supermarket giant

Multiple items, including baking trays, wooden boards, moulds, crockery, serving plates, cloches, a food processor and more, are all available to buy.

The kit is listed with MST Auctioneers, a 35-year-old firm based in East Devon’s Honiton, for £100s collectively.

Le Manoir will now be aiming to retain its two Michelin stars and add a third next year, with both the renovations and the acquisition of a new Culinary Director both being central to this pursuit.

Arnaud Donckele, appointed to the role, said: “To bring my cuisine to the UK for the first time, at a place as magical and meaningful as Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, is a profound honour.

As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our
articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local
services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local
community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need
as much support as possible during these challenging times.

The iconic trio of presenters started the show around a decade ago with producer Andy Wilman.

Having been a presenting team for 22 years, thanks to their work on BBC’s Top Gear too, the three stars called time on their adventures in 2024 with one last trip.

Venturing over to Zimbabwe and Botswana, the final Grand Tour, entitled One For The Road, marked the end of the trio professionally.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson signs exclusive major deal with supermarket giant

Despite the show coming to a close, Prime Video announced earlier this year that there would be four new retrospective specials.

These would feature new commentary from James May and Richard Hammond and show clips from the show.

The first of these, The Not Very Grand Tour, was released on the streaming platform back in April of last year.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson invites girl, 4, to farm after yobs destroy her egg stall

Then the next in the series, The Grand-ish Tour: A Trip Down Memory Lane, was released last week, this time reuniting the trio with the reintroduction of Mr Clarkson.

Now, the third episode out of the four, The Grand-ish Tour: A Bit Further Down Memory Lane, is set to release on Prime Video tomorrow (Friday, May 8).

The description of the episode reads: “In The Grand-ish Tour: A Bit Further Down Memory Lane, the cast celebrate their handiwork, including John, the self-assembly car that crossed Mongolia, and Jeremy’s home-made SUV, The Excellent, while also recalling epic drag races, great pranks and wonky windscreen wipers.”