Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at Master Builder’s, New Forest

I was very kindly invited to have breakfast and dinner at The Master Builder’s in return for a review as part of our stay.  However, as always, all opinions are entirely my own. Lunch and all drinks were paid in full.

We recently spent a lovely weekend at the Master Builder’s in Beaulieu in the New Forest. As part of our stay, we had a great few meals booked at The Riverview Restaurant which had such a lovely atmosphere, in fact with the sun shining through the array of windows, plenty of greenery around and festoon lighting, it actually felt we were dining al fresco despite being indoors in March!

We also decided to have a rather late lunch in The Yatchman’s Bar & Garden after a busy day exploring Beaulieu to line our tummies for the drive home. A drive we didn’t really want to be doing as this slow living weekend was exactly what we needed and didn’t want it to end.

Here’s what we dined on during our stay.

Breakfast

Whenever we do a hotel stay we always overindulge when it comes to breakfast.

The Master Builder’s Full English breakfast consisting of a Cumberland Sausage, a rasher of Smoked Back Bacon, a Grilled Tomato, a Flat Mushroom, Black Pudding that we skipped out on, with a slice of brown toast and Scrambled free range egg. I also asked for a little pot of beans on the side as for me, no full English is complete without them!

Lunch

We had a long walk into Beaulieu which took us about an hour, then spent the day in The National Motor Museum and Palace House, and then the long walk back so we were really hungry by then so we decided to stop and have our late lunch back at the hotel before leaving to head home.

I opted for the chicken burger with cheese, plenty of avocado, bbq sauce and salad that was sided with a portion of chips and of course, I picked a local beer to wash it down with. Mike went for the classic beef burger and we were both really happy with our choices. We were happily full with homecooked food that did tide us over until we got home.

Dinner

Dinner made for a lovely evening. With a slow living kind of vibe, we weren’t rushed, we ate at a leisurely pace and took some time out to actually chat and savour the time together.

Our meal kicked off with an Amuse Bouche which I think shows you’re in a good restaurant. They’re a great way to clean your palette of the days eating and will help you get the full flavours of the meal that follows.

Mike chose the Winter Squash Soup with Toasted Almonds and Crispy Kale which I was surprised about as he isn’t usually the kinda guy to order soup but he was mopping his bowl clean with his bread so he really enjoyed it!

It will come as no surprise that I ordered the Pan Fried Scallops as they are my favourite go-to starter. These were served with Crab Bisque, Apple Shaving and Celeriac Remoulade which complimented the scallops so well. I would never have thought of pairing an apple with scallops but the two flavours, the bitter apple and the softness of the scallop really worked.

Mike’s choice of main was the Skrei Cod Poached in Clarified Citrus Butter served with Creamy Chive Mash, with Mussels and topped with Courgette Ribbons. Mash is always our favourite side when we have fish so it was great to see this option in a restaurant as they go so well together! The fish was poached to perfection and the mussels were really high quality too.

My main was the Pan Fried Stone Bass and Toasted Crevette served with Tender Stem Broccoli, Fennel and Saffron Beurre d’Or sauce. There was so many different textures and flavours on my plate that each mouthful was totally different from the last which kept this dish really interesting. I’d certainly order again.

Despite being rather full up, we always make sure we have room to get a dessert! I went for the Chocolate Fondant with Crushed Pistachio and Clotted Cream which was incredible. I could eat this time and time again and not get bored as it was so good!!

Mike’s final course was this chocolate dream, and for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was called! All that matters was that he devoured every morsel off his plate and said he would happily order again!

All of the food we ate during our stay at The Master Builder’s was so fresh, well prepared and filled to the brim with great flavours. There’s not a bad word to say about the service and the atmospheres were also very welcoming.