Arnaud Donckele will be the new chef at Le Manoir when it returns in 2027

At the end of last year, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons closed for a major refurbishment that won't be complete until Summer 2027. But the bigger story was that after over 40 years, Raymond Blanc was going to step back from the day-to-day dealings with the place. Instead, he's becoming "Lifetime Ambassador", which we're assuming is a lot less intense than running something like Le Manoir.

So when the hotel is back up and running, there will be quite a few changes. And one big one has just been announced - the new chef. Having done very well indeed with a French chef over the past few decades, Le Manoir has appointed another as its new culinary director, Arnaud Donckele.

Donckele is currently in charge of not one, but two three-Michelin-starred restaurants, La Vague D’Or in Saint Tropez and Plénitude at Cheval Blanc Paris (not to mention four more restaurants, each of which also holds a star). Le Manoir has held two stars while Raymond Blanc has been in charge, so perhaps they'll be gunning for three when it returns? Michelin do seem to look very kindly on French chefs who hold three stars elsewhere, so we'd say that puts him in good standing. 

As for the new chef in charge, he said to The Times that the kitchen garden will still be a big part of it all: "Everything here will be about focusing on our connection with nature. It will be somewhere people want to go." He's also planning to spend two or three weeks a time at each of his main restaurants, including Le Manoir. Well, he's got a good 18 months to prepare, so it will be interesting to see how it all works out.