Chewton Glen

I can report that this most famous hotel is still fantastic! After drinks in the bar we spent a lovely couple of hours in the conservatory enjoying our lunch. We were four celebrating my birthday, which meant our drinks bill was marginally higher than usual!! But I can say it was well worth it. Their Wine List is amazing - it's a book - but there are suggested wines at the beginning that are reasonably priced starting at £18 a bottle.

We ate from the Summer Lunch Menu - three courses for £24.50 and, as previously reported, if one only drank tap water with your meal it is really good value. The starters consist of Chilled Pea Soup, Carpaccio of Beef Tomato with pine kernels, parmesan cheese, roasted onions and balsamic dressing, Baked Goats Cheese Salad with apple, pear, rocket salad, cashew nuts and walnut dressing and lastly Salad of Brown Shrimps with avocado, fennel, onions, lemon and dill dressing. We tried all but the pea soup and found them generous portions and delicious. Five choices for the main course of which I had The Great British Dish (different one for each day of the week bar Sunday) and as we were dining on Friday the dish was Fish Pie. Not quite like a pie, more two pieces of fish on a bed of creamy mash topped with the lightest crispy pastry precariously placed on the top. Two chose Escalope of Veal Holstein with green vegetables and Jersey new potatoes. Lastly Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Risotto. Again good size portions, excellent flavours and well presented. Our only criticism was that the two remaining choices were fish and therefore the only meat on the Friday Menu was veal. We tried all three of the desserts!! Chocolate Mousse and Mango Sorbet. Passion Fruit Tart with Raspberry and Ginger Sorbet. Fresh Strawberries and Raspberries with clotted cream. All extremely delicious.

We had our coffee and truffles - extra £4 each - in the lounge, unfortunately it was too wet to sit outside. Very relaxing, nobody rushes you, the staff are extremely well trained. Somehow they found out it was my birthday and presented me with a lovely box of handmade truffles, what a lovely touch. So because of that I am upgrading to

Yummy Factor 10/10 and can thoroughly recommend for a special occasion or a treat!!

We ate from the £20 set 3 course Autumn Lunch Menu. Nearly forgot to tell you I had a Singapore Sling as an aperitif. The bar area is quite cosy & we could select our meal there. As you know I am a smoker & the dining room is non smoking but I could indulge my filthy habit whilst perusing the menu & enjoying my aperitif. The Fish Soup was delicious as was the Goats Cheese Salad. My own choice was traditional Caesar Salad which was lovely (interesting to note no anchovies). "The Great British Dish" changes every day & on Mondays its Boiled Ham with Parsley Sauce which was just as I remember ham used to taste! The Duck Confit with haricot beans, black pudding & morte au sausage was very flavoursome & the fillet of Loch Duart Salmon also tasted so good! The puddings were all gorgeous to look at & also to eat. The Baked Meringue, mango sorbet, vanilla & passion fruit sauce was a work of art & the plates were almost licked clean. My Warm Chocolate Tart with pistachio ice cream was also excellent. I think this menu is such good value & my memory is that each course & each ingredient was so tasty. I would like to revisit every day for the " Great British Dish", please Chef if you read this could I be your official taster?

All of the staff were discreet & charming. All the courses were plentiful, not nouvelle cuisine. Lots more detail on their web site.

The pre lunch drinks, a bottle of wine, coffee & truffles doubled the cost of the bill so if you could limit yourself to tap water you could lunch inexpensively & so well!