lunches at The Jetty

It may be a grey, wintry day, but there is nothing to cheer the soul like a sea view, with scudding clouds, and wading birds floating above a reflective sea...  Even better then, if you can take-in that view from within a warm, bright and glass wrapped haven.

The Jetty appears to float above Christchurch Harbour - all weathered wood, sparkling glass and steel - it's perched like a launching boat, next to the grey waters.   It is run by by Alex Aitken, who has cooked in the New Forest for over twenty-five years.  At le Poussin he held a Michelin star, and he moved to The Jetty in 2010.

There were five of us for lunch and we'd all been meaning to try it for some time.  We were impressed by the breadth and scope of the menu - there are rarely menus where I really feel torn between dishes - but there is plenty to tempt here.  The following will give you a good idea of their style and talents.  A word of caution, book early in the summer months, because I guarantee everyone else will!

Amuse: cauliflower veloute 

Seared foie gras on toast with citrus sauce and crispy bacon

Soft boiled egg wrapped in saltcod brandade, 

deep fried with summer vegetable salad

Pigeon breast, with puy lenttils

Warm salad of pigeon breast and mango

Paella

Pheasant, with mashed potato, lardons, greens, and baby onions

Fillet of cod, topped with Mudeford crab and herb crust, with mashed potatoes and peas

Dorset whole lemon sole served with greens and Bearnaise...
(normally buerre blanc)

Green salad

Hot passion fruit soufflé with hot passion fruit sauce
(with the additional lift from the sauce)

Hot passion fruit soufflé, with hot passion fruit sauce

The Jetty

The Jetty
Christchurch Harbour Hotel
95 Mudeford
Christchurch
Dorset BH23 3NT