Barton On Sea, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Five-star service and food on the South Coast”, say fans of this “special” venue – a famous Relais & Châteaux property, set in gorgeous grounds on the edge of the New Forest and 30 minutes’ drive from Bournemouth: the “perfect hotel to be spoilt in with its lovely summery restaurant and first-class staff”. Perennial gripes about high prices here were absent this year, and Luke Matthews’s cuisine won nothing but praise. Top Tip – “The lunch menu is very good value”; and “the quality and quantity of afternoon tea here is so very impressive – we didn’t need dinner!!”

“Showing that the food doesn’t have to be fancy to be good” – fans applaud the “great menu of varied choices” in the relaxed alternative eatery of this famous country-house hotel, whose menu line-up includes posh burger and pizza options. The addition was completed a few years ago and is an attractive modern space with pitched roof, whose features include views over the kitchen gardens, an outdoor terrace and a cookery school overseen by James Martin. An “ideal venue for a special occasion – expensive, but worth it”.

This “top spot” – a modern, glass-walled venue with a terrace for outdoor dining at a “lovely location on Christchurch Harbour” (in the grounds of the Harbour Hotel and with superb views) – is an ideal showcase for chef Alex Aitken’s “consistently high-quality, locally sourced seafood”.