No 46 to Le Manoir: Raymond Blanc funds local bus service to restaurant

The No 46 bus passes through Great Milton, Oxfordshire, on its way to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons restaurant. Photograph: Sam Frost/The Guardian

With rural buses in long-term decline and a funding crisis putting more routes in peril, a surprising service has appeared on the English transport menu: the No 46 bus to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Raymond Blanc’s celebrated restaurant and hotel in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside may not appear classic bus territory. The Michelin-starred establishment’s seven-course dinner with matching wines starts at £350 a head, rising to just over £1,000 if you want to drink the good stuff.