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There's a very pretty mill house which in summer houses an al fresco bar and dining area. It couldn't have been more wintry when we stayed at the end of January, but there was a warm welcome from the reception staff and we were shown to a marvellous suite with an elegant sitting room and bedroom with a king sized four poster. (Well, it was our wedding anniversary!) The bathroom had one of those amazing state-of-the-art jacuzzi-shower baths - you need a master's degree in engineering to suss out how all the gizmos work. We had fun trying all the various combinations of jets and sprays, while sipping the champagne that had thoughtfully been sent up for us.

The dining room - now known as The Restaurant at Newbury Manor, is an artful combination of the old and the new, with rather arresting colours and pictures, giving a sophisticated air, rather than a stuffy old country house atmosphere. There's a new chef, Nick Evans, (ex Lettonie outside Bath) who seems determined to put the place on the gastronomic map. His menu is a no-nonsense affair, mercifully free of trendy but shallow fusion ideas. That is not to say either that his menu is in the least bit unimaginative.

At lunchtime there's a set menu - two courses for £16.50, three for £25.00 inclusive of coffee. I liked the sound of a starter terrine of confit duck with red cabbage and shallot with candied orange. I was delighted to see really traditional heart warming British dishes like Braised Oxtail with roasted Beef Skirt. More continental influences could be seen in moderation with a dish like Pan fried Black Bream with spinach, crushed potatoes and a Bouillabaisse sauce. Finish off with pineapple gratin with rum sabayon and coconut sorbet and you'd certainly need to take another walk around the river banks!

The dinner menu is a la carte with starters in the region of eight or nine pounds, main dishes between seventeen and twenty pounds, and puddings nudging six pounds. There's a superb wine list - Burgundy and Claret lovers could have a field day, but aficionados of the New World would be equally pleased with the interesting selection of serious Australian and Californian offerings.

We greatly enjoyed a bottle of Lindemans 1994 Pyrus with its classic Bordeaux melange of Cabernets, both Sauvignon and Franc, together with Merlot and a dash of Malbec. Heady stuff! On our second visit (see below) we had both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from the excellent Californian Morgan Vineyard.

From the ALC menu, the starter of roast breasts of pigeon was outstanding, really gamey with dark red meat topped with a foie gras mousse held together in a translucent crepinette with almost black (but miraculously still unburnt!) caramelised shallots in a rich reduction laced with sherry vinegar to give the necessary sharpness. The roasted scallops were pronounced excellent - with a very much appreciated delicate cauliflower purée contrasted with crispy fritters of the same vegetable - an arrangement that was both a delight to the palate as well as to the eye.

For main course, pieces of Duck breast were tender and pink, enlivened with a rub of honey and five spice (merest hint of fusion?). They sat on an apple galette to give freshness, with another expertly fashioned accompaniment: duck confit tortellini with foie gras. It sounds rich, but the balance of ingredients was carefully judged. Filet of beef was well sourced, (they evidently have a good butcher) and it was pink and juicy, on a base of rosti potato and soft roasted garlic. Both these main dishes were greatly appreciated and didn't hang around for long on the plates!

For pudding we tried the iced coffee parfait served in a featherlight warm cinnamon doughnut - a delightful idea and donot be put off by the donut! I couldn't resist the hot chocolate fondant with its soft, dark, molten interior. This one came with glazed oranges (oranges and chocolate are a marriage made in heaven) and a sorbet made from fromage fraiche.

It was wonderful to be able to collapse up the stairs into our four poster bed. I recommend that you make full use of the bedroom arrangements before going down to dinner, otherwise after such a marvellous meal, unexpected things may happen.

Clifford Mould January 2001

Update: We enjoyed ourselves so much, we went back for second helpings at the end of March. Chef Nick Evans has clearly settled in and the cooking is very assured. The ravioli of Duck Confit topped with pan roasted foie gras was a clever variant of a similar dish we had in January - it was rich but deliciously balanced by a spicy sauce. Tournedos of salmon were beautifully char-grilled and came on a yummy bed of pureed leeks. A main course of Roast Squab Pigeon came with a glossy sherry vinegar sauce and caramelised onion, with fondant potatoes that stood up like guardsmen on parade. Instead of Welsh rarebit we had a very pleasant variant made with stilton melted in Port wine then browned off under the grill. Then it was time to revisit the doughnuts, which were as light as ever.

I forgot to mention the service last time, very remiss of me as it was really attentive and professional. From the warm welcome you get at reception, through to the wait staff in The Restaurant, you are made to feel very special by young people who look as though they are enjoying what they do. Our young labrador  was made a great fuss of!

Newbury Manor Hotel, Newbury, Berkshire - Dine Online Highly Recommended
(Off the A4 on the left as you come into Newbury from the London direction)
Tel: 01635 528838 Fax: 01635 523406
Newbury Manor Website

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Dine Online Copyright Clifton Media Associates February 2001, All rights reserved.

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