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

Hourly bus serves local villages and brings staff - and sometimes customers - to Michelin-starred restaurant

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.