A restaurant at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire has been named among the best of its kind in the UK.
The Orangery at Blenheim Palace has been highlighted as one of the best garden restaurants across the country.
Blenheim Palace reopened its 18th century Orangery in 2024, following a £2 million restoration.
The Orangery has been many things over the past 300 years including a greenhouse, a conservatory, a theatre, an art gallery, offices and most recently a restaurant.
The restoration team worked closely with Historic England to ensure the work, materials and the architecture remained sympathetic to architect John Vanbrugh’s original design before a fire broke out in 1861.
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The Orangery at Blenheim Palace (Image: Blenheim Palace)
The Orangery now offers afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, corporate, weddings, and private dinners, with its own private bar and terrace.
The inside underwent a complete makeover featuring stunning chandeliers and decor mixing ‘contemporary chic with timeless charm’.
It was believed to be the first type of restoration programme carried out on a Grade I-listed building of its kind.
This Spring, Blenheim Palace collaborated with Marco Pierre White to curate a unique menu in The Orangery at Blenheim Palace.
The famous chef worked with the estate’s chefs to create a bespoke menu, which includes dishes like Estate Garden beetroot carpaccio, Blenheim Estate fillet steak salad and Scottish salmon fillet, Estate Garden basil salsa verde and wild garlic parmentier potatoes.
You can eat at The Orangery with a reservation without having to purchase a pass, but if you want to see the formal gardens and palace, you’ll have to buy a separate pass.
Another manor highlighted in the list was Gravetye Manor near Grinstead in West Sussex.
Customers can stay at the 16th-century manor in the Sussex countryside, but most flock to its Michelin-Star, glass-fronted restaurant.
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The Orangery at Blenheim Palace (Image: Blenheim Palace)
For those still in West Sussex Isca in Borde Hill launched in May under executive chef Jack Hazell (formerly of Marcus at The Berkeley and Bibendum), this garden-inspired restaurant is set within a striking new glasshouse overlooking the reimagined Walled Kitchen Garden, designed by award-winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell.
Moss & Moor restaurant in Ilkley boasts a view of Ilkley Moor and a restaurant with delicious fare, named a Local Gem 2025 by the Good Food Guide, and awarded for Catering Excellence by the Garden Centre Association as Best Garden Centre Restaurant.
And the Azalea in Glenapp Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland is another favourite.
Positioned near the stunning Ayrshire coast, the hotel’s second restaurant, which opened last year, is the centrepiece of the walled garden, set within the estate’s historic Victorian glasshouse and bothy, which dates to 1832.
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