One Park Lane

After making his fortune by electrifying England, Victorian industrial magnate Alexander Siemens kicked back in his seaside mansion on the edge of the New Forest seaside. The place basks in fabulous views of the Needles and the Isle of Wight, while inside, a boutique makeover brings together contemporary fabrics and design values with original Arts and Crafts style - dark oak panelling, Pre-Raphaelite-designed tiled fireplaces, and exquisite ceiling friezes. Glorious sea views are the backdrop to dining in the classic country-house setting of the One Park Lane restaurant. Sourcing of high-quality local produce - most comes from a 50-mile radius of the hotel - is at the heart of the kitchen's efforts, and the result is a procession of intricately-woven dishes, whose complexity is belied by the tight-lipped menu descriptions. Pot-roasted quail with apple purée and white pudding might feature among starters, while mains could stretch to seared sea bass teamed with roasted fennel, scallop beignet and bacon sauce, and desserts are carefully constructed edifices of flavour and textural contrasts - perhaps 'menthol eucalyptus', involving verbena meringue, cantaloupe and cucumber.