The Bay Restaurant - Dover

An exciting new venture from the team behind nearby Wallett's Court, the Bay Restaurant is the 'beating heart' of the White Cliffs Hotel in the centre of delightful St Margaret's at Cliffe. It's a cool uncluttered dining room that is equally popular for light lunches and fully-blown evening meals.

The kitchen is headed up by Gavin Oakley (culinary supremo from Wallett's Court), who brings his own brand of creative modern cooking to proceedings. A passion for 'local, free-range, organic and sustainable' ingredients underpins his efforts and it shows in his seasonal larder: here you will find Kentish asparagus, Romney Marsh lamb, St Margaret's Bay lobsters and other fish from the coast. Among the vivid modern dishes on offer might be line-caught mackerel fillets with sun-dried tomatoes and fennel seeds, Sussex goats' cheese fritters with beetroot pickle, organic pork with mustard mash, caramelised pears and apples, and desserts such as custard tart with rhubarb.

Robust daily specials are also worth noting (Wednesday might bring game pie) and on Sundays, a summertime 'steak and king prawn' barbecue is fired up from 4 o'clock (a 'lounging menu' serves for the cooler months of the year). To drink, choose from an eclectic selection of locally brewed beers, juices and global wines.

The hotel itself is just ten minutes drive from Dover, yet still ranks as one of White Cliff Country's best-kept secrets. It's centred around an archetypal Kentish weatherboarded inn that has been sympathetically upgraded to a luxury venue complete with a 'micro spa', conference and wedding facilities and a delightful walled garden full of roses.