AN immaculate terrace is bathed by the westering sun. It overlooks the wide expanse of a huge rural cricket pitch dotted with grazing New Forest ponies. You feel at ease. Relaxed. Welcomed.

Always there at just the right moment, the attentive service in both bar and restaurant has the quick, smiling quality of people -confident that you're going to enjoy your meal. And how right they were!

The three-course dinner menu is beautifully balanced, presenting mouth-watering -combinations of the light and the rich and - how good to see - a number of the dishes relied on wholly seasonal ingredients.

The wine list is extensive, reasonably priced and has clear tasting notes. I was really pleased at the selection of half bottles. They do tend to be a little more expensive, but allow you choice without having to knock back two whole bottles.

Many of the less pricey wines may be ordered by the glass and, acting on the advice of the knowledgeable wine waiter, we each tried a glass of the house Chardonnay. It was good - well- rounded and just a hint -buttery - but could have been chilled another couple of degrees.

A complimentary appetiser set the standard for the evening. The meaty little fillet of grey mullet lay on a bed of green lentils which just retained a hint of bite, the sweet balsamic vinegar dressing comple-menting the richness of the fish.

And a clever touch, the whole arrangement was topped with a crisp fried basil leaf.

My partner opted for a starter of roasted pigeon breast with pistachio mousseline on pickled red cabbage and madeira jus which was superbly presented and pos-sessed a hint of the wild. I chose quails' eggs set on a nest of leek, smoked salmon and wild mushroom with split balsamic dressing. We shared - we always do - a couple of tastes and he was so right in his appreciation of the sheer yumminess of the texture and flavours.

Our main courses of goat's cheese tartlet with red onion jam and -garlic chive sauce (partner) and fillet of duck breast on vegetable ribbons with honey ginger sauce and puff pastry lattice (me) were both splendid. Goat's cheese melt-ing in the mouth alongside the sweetness of the jam and the -subtle piquancy of the sauce - wow! The duck was cooked just beyond pink and the sauce married it -perfectly. Ideal for all tastes.

If the test of a good chef is his -vegetables then we're looking at a distinction. Golden, oval -courgettes, scented baby squashes, whole tiny turnips full of sharp, pungent flavour, julienne strips of carrot, lengths of fennel braised just right, a pack of perfect French beans wrapped in a twist of stretched bacon, potatoes roasted as they should be.

Our selection of a half-bottle Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon - Casa la Joya - really hit the mark. It had an excellent nose, plenty of fruit in the mouth and a surpris-ingly long finish.

I'm not sure how we managed to find room for pudding, but both the fresh strawberries gratinated with a kirsch sabayon and the toasted hazelnut parfait in a rasp-berry coulis did what desserts should. They surprised, delighted and enlivened the palate.

The dinner menu is set at £22 and, allowing for coffee and drinks, the cost should be £30-£35 per person. Worth every penny. Booking is essential.

Friendly, professional and committed to excellence, this family-run hotel knocks the soul-less adequacy of the large chains into a cocked hat. Tel: 01590 623116

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.