Where to eat during Royal Ascot (14-18 June)

Royal Ascot, one of the key events of The Season, kicks off today. Whether you want to see and be seen at the event’s most talked-about restaurants, are planning where to spend your winnings on the drive home, or just really want an excuse to wear a hat and sip Champagne, Square Meal has the answer.

Visit The Waterside Inn at the Panoramic Restaurant

For the second year running, Alain Roux will bring his three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn to the Panoramic Restaurant at Ascot (pictured, left). Roux’s menu will include chorizo-and-almond palmiers with pepper salsa, poached fillets of sole with tarragon, morels and vin jaune sauce, and chocolate roulade with raspberries and melba sauce to finish. Call 0870 727 4321 to make a reservation or email hospitality@ascot.co.uk.

Eat Mayfair-standard seafood at Windsor’s Cottage Inn

During Royal Ascot, the Cottage Inn near Windsor is bringing a touch of city chic to the country with the help of its sister restaurant, Green's. Dishes from the Mayfair stalwart’s seafood and shellfish menu will be available on racedays. Racing fans can tuck into lobster, crab, oysters and Champagne while the action pans out live on a big screen in the dining room. To book a place, call 01344 882242 or visit www.greens.org.uk.

Live the high life at John Campbell’s Coworth Park restaurant

If the last race is over, but you’re still in the mood for the finer things in life, make an evening of it with a meal at John Campbell’s restaurant at Coworth Park (pictured, right), just three miles from the racecourse. Plump for the seasonal à la carte menu, or blow your race winnings on the tasting menu with wines to match each course, then retire to one of the Coworth Park estate’s best suites.

Celebrate or commiserate with comfort food at The Greene Oak

Located eight miles from Ascot, this relative newcomer to Windsor is a gastropub in the true sense of the word, and the food it serves is pushing all the right buttons with locals. Casual and welcoming, with carefully sourced ingredients and an emphasis on hearty comfort food, it’s a good way to round off a day at the races, regardless of the day’s takings.

Toast Royal Ascot with Champagne afternoon tea at The Wellington

Not going to Ascot but still have the urge to wear a hat? Pop down to The Wellington Lounge at The InterContinental Park Lane for afternoon tea in your best headgear and you’ll be immediately upgraded from a traditional afternoon tea (£25 per person) to a Champagne afternoon tea (£35 per person) with complimentary top-ups. The most outrageous hat during the four-day race period will win a weekend stay in the hotel’s Wellington suite, including brunch and a spa treatment for two. To book, call 020 7318 8649 or visit the hotel’s website.