Hampshire Restaurant Guide

“You won’t be disappointed” by this pretty Arts and Crafts hotel which, say fans, remains “excellent in all areas”. New chef Matthew Whitfield arrived in 2019 fresh from a stint at Eleven Madison Park in New York, and delivers “very good” cuisine, much sourced from the organic kitchen garden.

“I avoided the stuffier looking dining room, and went for the kitchen instead (a good choice)”, says one fan of the more relaxed option at this super-swish country house hotel: part of the cookery school. It doesn’t seem to be aiming for fireworks, rather “decent food, good value, helpful staff, and a really well-looked-after setting”.

This famous and “beautifully situated” country hotel provides “a super experience all round”, from the grand dining room to the 130 acres of immaculate grounds. Chef Luke Matthews has led the kitchen for many years (he joined as a sous in 1993) and sends out many “gorgeously presented dishes”, although arguably “the wine list is the star of the show”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a meal here can seem punishingly “expensive if it’s not part of a room-plus offer” – perhaps dip your toe in the water with a “splendid afternoon tea”.

“For Winchester, pretty darn good” seems a fair assessment of this city-centre seven-year-old, which wins a good amount of praise for its “excellent” fish and seafood, “friendly and helpful service, and an atmosphere that’s lively and fun, without being noisy” (“a bit like an upmarket canteen”). Reviews are not consistent enough, however, for a more gushing endorsement: some dishes are judged “a bit run of the mill” and it can be “hard to correlate the experience with the price level”.

The Womersley’s “utterly reliable family-run restaurant on the edge of the New Forest”; the décor may be a tad ’80s, and the food – from ex-Lucknam Park chef Mike – may not always plough new furrows (“you can be guaranteed to meet an old favourite amidst occasional new dishes”), but it’s a winner overall.

“A snip or three above the best chains: a pretty noisy, but very good, pizza spot right in the centre of this old market town” – an “Italian staple” with a “good and fairly priced menu”.

2018 Review: This New Forest-inspired restaurant boasts a menu that is completely local, sourced and farmed in surrounding Hampshire. Head chef Alistair Craig promises to add a ‘new dimension’ to classic ingredients and serve seasonal dishes inspired by nature. Too limited feedback for a rating, but such as we have is upbeat.