Littleton Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: This “brilliant thatched country pub” has “lots of game dishes” on its menu – appropriately enough for a traditional establishment in the historical hunting landscape of Cranborne Chase. “Vegetarians and vegans are well provided for” too, while there’s also a “well-stocked bar with local ales and a reasonably priced wine list”.

2023 Review: This gorgeous old tavern on a corner site near the harbour – newly spiffed-up last autumn and with the recent addition of a conservatory – specialises in “excellent-quality” local seafood, served in a warm atmosphere that is “like being in France”.

2023 Review: This thatched eighteenth-century Piddle Valley pub with an “enchanting garden” wins solid ratings across the board for its “great service and good food, whether you prefer pub grub or something more ambitious”. Its popularity was sealed by a rave review from The FT’s Tim Hayward a couple of years ago, and you need to book early to secure a table at busy times, especially Sunday lunch.

2022 Review: “A friendly and welcoming atmosphere” marks out this thatched fifteenth-century gastroboozer, where the “high-quality fresh local produce” (but also more adventurous sourcing, including from Paris’s famous Rungis market) leads to some “interesting variations on the traditional style”.

“The food is always reliably delicious” at this 300-year-old thatched cottage across the road from Thomas Hardy’s old school (the author was born in the neighbouring village) – which “must be one of the best restaurants in Dorset”. Former Four Seasons exec chef Jamie Jones assembles a “relatively short menu that caters for all tastes and appetites” – “you know as soon as you taste the canapes that the food is going to be excellent”.

You can hang with the local mansion-owners and beachgoers at this Poole Harbour outpost of the Stein empire, which has a brilliant location overlooking the water. It inspired less feedback this year than its stablemates, hence we’ve left it unrated.

2022 Review: A “beautifully situated restaurant” in an Art Deco solarium overlooking Poole Harbour, and where “drinks on the upper deck are an extra delight”. One or two off reports on the food front this year, but also plenty of plaudits for its “really good breakfasts and lunches”, and “service has improved” of late too.

“Super-fresh fish in simple surroundings with wonderful views” over Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island makes a winning deck of cards for this waterside spot on the Isle of Purbeck, on the beach by the chain-link ferry. “Delicious puddings”, a “respectable wine list” and “friendly staff” complete the deal.

“In a beautiful setting in the Wiltshire countryside”, Darren Brown’s “most wonderful” venture occupies an eighteenth-century walled garden and “makes full use of the produce grown” there in its “wholesome, creative fare”. “The fire pit conjures smoke, fire and primal appetites” which are ably slaked by the “superb” meats and “imaginatively done” vegetables – limited mostly to lunch, plus the odd Equinox-themed dinner. In summer they also run the ‘Slow Food Kitchen’ from Thursday to Sunday, while you can overnight year-round in their Shepherd’s Hut.

2022 Review: “Top-notch fish, chips and alternatives” plus a “lovely location” not far from the centre of town make this modern seaside café a good choice for breakfast or lunch, with stunning views from the terrace.

2023 Review: This “nice gastropub with large gardens” has undergone a dramatic £800,000 refurb since our annual diners’ poll, to be reborn with cocktail bar-style décor replacing the traditional pub interior, and fitted seating with cushions in the 100-seater garden. The new menu replaces standard 3-course meals with a globally inspired selection of small plates.

A “cracking find in the centre of Bournemouth”, this “tiny little restaurant up off the main shopping street” is “worth the climb” for “tasty” and sometimes “superb” tapas and “refreshing sangria”. Top Menu Tip – “our normally carnivorous children demand the aubergine with honey”.