Bowaters

There can be few more quintessentially English scenes than this well placed restaurant by the side of the River Thames, particularly on a warm late summer's evening when the glow of the candles is reflected in the water and the quiet sounds of the river permeate through the conversation within.

Head Chef Mark Constable and Howard Davis running front of house makes an ideal team to front what is the hotel's main restaurant with a menu that has more than a smack of brasserie about it.

The à la carte menu is available at lunchtimes Monday to Saturday and every evening except on special event evenings. A quick scan reveals a choice of around seven starters to include grilled fillet of mackerel with white bean, carrot salad and mustard ice cream, or a very palatable home-made cream of leek soup with a potato dumpling.

Main courses are divided into fish and vegetarian, and meat, with roasted loin of Highland lamb a favoured choice, or for those who must have their fish perhaps a poached fillet of lemon sole with wilted greens and a parsley butter sauce.

Steamed toffee pudding is teamed up with pecans and banana, and the poached Yorkshire rhubarb with vanilla yoghurt fool leaves many a contented smile behind it.

A weekly lunch special of one or two courses is, as so often, good value. Expect to find something along the lines of grilled sausages with pickled red cabbage, mash and thyme and shallot jus, followed by seasonal fruit crumble with custard.

Bowater's works well with its sister restaurant on the same premises, each offering a different slant on what is basically some of the best eating to be had in the area, and that as aficionados