Not boring at the Goring

Who better to revamp the dining room of the stately Goring hotel, a favourite watering hole of the late Queen Mother, than her grandson Lord Linley?

Out goes the flowered chintz. In come golden inter-lined silk curtains, white plaster bas-relief escutcheons and a fireplace flanked with walnut urns on fluted walnut pillars.

The menu remains stoutly British and also confidently priced at £37.50/£44 for two/three courses at dinner plus various supplements, coffee and petits fours at £4.50 and 12.5 per cent service. Because in autumn game is de rigueur at The Goring, one of us chose roast grouse (£10 supplement) for the main course.

The cooking of the bird revealed many years of practice, as did the game chips, clear gravy, fried breadcrumbs, bread sauce and watercress, the traditional accompaniments that mix with the meat to very particular effect.

Roasted best end of Devonshire lamb with a brioche crust (£3 supplement) was served from a silver trolley and mint sauce, redcurrant jelly, gratin Dauphinois and some good spring greens offered with it.

To start, The Goring Hors D'Oeuvres were sadly not displayed on that sort of Rolodex trolley that used to feature in grand hotels. Glazed Scottish lobster omelette could easily have sported a supplement, so generous was the amount of lobster. Food prices made us timorous with the wine list, which has some excellent bottles. I love the family-run Goring, an oasis of gentility, but a sandwich in the bar might have to suffice next time.