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Westover Hall, located on the southern edge of the New Forest, enjoys one of the most spectacular viewpoints on the south coast, looking over Christchurch Bay towards the Needles and the Isle of Wight. Built in 1897 for the German industrialist, Alexander Siemens, no expense was spared and the result is an architectural symphony in the finest stone, wood and stained glass.

Their Head Chef presides over an operation that draws its inspiration not only from the local produce, but also the great natural beauty of this unique New Forest coastal area. At the One Park Lane restaurant in the hotel, fine dining is cultivated into an art form, with menus offering appetisers of yellow fin tuna niçoise with black olive rippled ice cream.

Main courses lean towards fruits of the sea with bouillabaisse foamed broth, saffron potatoes and baby fennel, and desserts exemplify excellence with the passion fruit tart and coriander sherbet. A relatively short but punchy wine list includes local options and a well-balanced range from Old and New World sources.

Another of those wonderful hotels that bloom so well in the New Forest area, this one has been in the same family for more than thirty years. The cuisine is unpretentious and redolent of home cooking at its best. Like so many other hotels and restaurants in the area full use is made of the wonderful local produce and the standards are reliable and consistent. A well-based wine list with house wine at £12.