CUSTOMERS who love to dine in the elegant 18th century surroundings have always known it is in a class of its own.

The Montagu Arms Hotel, Beaulieu, is famous for its service, wines and mouth-watering a la carte dishes.

Now the dining delights to be found within the picture postcard building have been officially recognised.

The Montagu Arms has been named the best restaurant in Hampshire by Britain's top guide to eating places.

The latest edition of the Which? Good Food Guide, published today, describes the "dizzying standards" achieved by staff.

Director of cooking Shaun Hill, head chef Scott McKenzie Foy and restaurant manager Jose Garcia are delighted that the restaurant has received such a high-class accolade.

Scott, 32, said: "It's a great achievement to be singled out for this award because it's done on recommendations, which makes it extra special."

Describing the food served in the Montagu Arms as modern European, he added: "It's a rustic style of cooking that centres on the flavour as the most important thing."

The 70-seater restaurant already has two AA rosettes.

The Which? guide rates it as having good to very good cooking with high quality of ingredients, all of which are locally-sourced, organic and free-range wherever possible.

"Great pains are taken to get the obvious things up to a dizzying standard," the guide notes.

"Menu billings are no-nonsense in their brevity" and a high standard of service is provided by a "large, variously abled team."

The guide describes the cooking as classical with "combinations that work and presentations that look delightfully straightforward".

Updated and rewritten annually, each entry is the result of anonymous, independent inspections, backed up by extensive readers' reports.

Contributors to the latest edition include BBC broadcaster John Simpson and award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay.

Unlike others the guide accepts no advertising, sponsorship or payment for inclusion.

Some of the dishes to be found at the Montagu Arms: Starters Sauted scallops Wild mushroom Seared sea bass Crab, tomato and saffron tart Main courses: Loin of Berkshire pork Loin of venison Roast rack of lamb Fillet of New Forest beef Desserts: Muscat crme caramel Hot chocolate fondant Buttermilk pudding Apple souffl