The Avenue at Lainston House

Such is the excitement around MasterChef: The Professionals champ Tom Hamblet, it’s easy to forget that he is just 25 years old. Despite his age and relative inexperience (this is his first head chef role), he carries a mature head on young shoulders, and he’s a comfortable, personable presence in the dining room as he visits each table in turn for a chat.

No expense has been spared to put all the hotel’s might behind the young champion. The Avenue has had a complete refurb thanks to Russell Sage studio, and it looks the part now, decked out in sultry burnt orange and dark timber. Plush rugs create some nice geometry, whilst still showing off the space’s charming, historic details, like the beautiful parquet floor and wood-panelling. Hotel restaurants can be a tricky proposition design-wise but this is the perfect balance of contemporary and classic.

Hamblet’s confidence comes through in his cooking too, which shows off some superb technique. The opening trio of snacks is picture perfect - Tom isn’t the first to serve a cheese gougere, but this one is a perfect sphere, packed with warm, silky gruyere and black truffle custard. Likewise, a paper-thin croustade holds smooth duck liver parfait, with puffed rice adding some smart texture. It’s extremely accomplished work.

That precise technique features throughout. Pigeon on toast had us expecting something rustic, but this pigeon was dressed up to the nines, set in a neat ballotine with parsley mousse on top and a thin slice of toast on the bottom. Dishes do occasionally tip into some slightly old-fashioned tropes - little swipes of sauces and gels, for example - but you can’t argue with the flavours. Tom’s pastry background seems to have made him a master of delicate, precise creations.

Where desserts and petit-fours can sometimes be an afterthought, they’re perhaps the star of a very good show at The Avenue. A candied fig leaf sits neatly atop a sublime whipped cheesecake tart, and there are a number of body parts we’d sell for more of his apple and ginger pate de fruits. We’re not surprised Lainston House was so quick to nab Hamblet to take on The Avenue - he’s a serious talent with a huge career ahead of him, and if The Avenue is going to get better from here, it'll be on the radar for national awards.

The signature restaurant at five-star country house Lainston Hotel, The Avenue is an elegant fine dining restaurant, named after the mile-long avenue of lime trees that guests can see from the dining room.

The Avenue is a sophisticated space, but doesn’t feel overly pompous. Wood-panelled walls and heavy drapes speak to tradition, but touches such as the soft patterned carpet and cosy fireplace help to make things a little homey too. 

At the end of 2024, The Avenue announced that MasterChef: The Professionals 2023 champion Tom Hamblet would be joining as head chef, taking the helm of the restaurant after the restaurant’s refurbishment is completed on 27 November. Tom’s victory on the show put him on the map as one of the most talented young chefs in the country, and he leads a fresh, innovative menu at Lainston House that is driven by seasonality and local produce.

His debut menu features exquisite snacks such as a laminated brioche with garden herb butter, and dishes such as scallop with anchovy, seaweed pickle and ajo blanco, and venison loin with beetroot, onion caramel and duck liver sauce.

To round off your meal, there are desserts such as whipped cheesecake tart with pear, fig leaf, blackberry and pastis sorbet, as well as ‘squeeze them in’ petit fours like a Lainston apple juice and ginger pate de fruit. Tom also squeezes in a variety of snacks and extra course between your main choices, showcasing the best of Hampshire produce.