Leatherne Bottel, The

A delightful restaurant. The sort of place you hope to find when you have time on your hands and nothing much else in mind. In a unique position at the end of a little winding lane on the banks of the River Thames at Goring, overlooking water meadows and the Berkshire Downs.

Somehow, you expect three men from a boat to be winding their way across the lawn to join you in the restaurant. The Leatherne Bottle continue to attract customers from far and wide, who lunch on the terrace in summer amidst the scent of wild herbs and flowers. In winter logs blaze in two large open fire-places.

Julia Storey has been head chef here for ten years, and is rightly very proud of the Most Excellent Restaurant in the U.K. 2006 award from Conde Nast Johansens.

Her Modern European menu has an exciting Pacific Rim touch, with mouth-watering combinations such as fresh crab and spinach salad with coconut shavings and vanilla bean oil; smoked lamb tenderloin, pea purée, sage butter; roast saddle of venison, braised red cabbage with juniper, fondant potato. Everything at the Leatherne Bottel is homemade, including breads and a stunning selection of puddings.

The wine list deserves very close attention indeed with house wine at £19.