Christchurch is a beautiful, almost seaside town, boxed in by some of the Britain’s ugliest A roads. The only sensible way to approach it is by sea, coming in past the Mudeford Sandbank, where the beauty of the town opens up before you (there is a ferry, which is well worth the trip). The alternative is to screech to halt at the end of the A35, to be faced by the back of the local Travelodge and a loading bay. While capital punishment always seems like an extreme option, maybe a spell in Christchurch’s ducking stool may be in order for the local town planners?

For us, Christchurch was at the end of the Avon Valley Path, which we had started a few days earlier in Salisbury (read my review of the brilliant Maul’s here). We had expected that given the use of the word “Avon” in the name, the walk would consist of the best part of 40 miles of glorious riverside trudging. It did not. You don’t encounter the Avon that much at all, in fact we spent more time dodging traffic on the B Road section of the walk (not well advertised, that) than we did going along the Avon. When we finally encountered it, just a few miles from Christchurch, with the Priory (the actual Priory, not the restaurant) tantalisingly in view, after about a mile, the path is washed away as the Avon forges a new course for itself, so you are forced to retrace your steps and walk down the A35, entering Christchurch from what can only be described as its backside.

Fortunately, once you are in the town, things change. And one of the standout items is the Priory Restaurant, easy to find as it is right next to its namesake.

Downstairs is a rather raucous bar, which seemed to mainly be the demense of the owner, who was holding court over an impressively long period, and in shorts, which was a brave fashion choice for a chilly day. However, upstairs is a little oasis of calm, with a slight art nouveau feel.

Service was very friendly, if a tiny bit scatterbrained, but all the more charming for it.

A personal first was a Negroni with my initial in it (the blog’s fame spread’s far and wide)

If I had a gripe (and it would be a small one) the cheese course appeared in the starters (a blue cheese cheesecake), but not in the desserts. I have no idea if anyone orders the cheesecake, but I would certainly have had some of the Blue Vinny had it appeared in the correct place on the menu…

Someone in the kitchen had a sense of humour about as puerile as my own, but I can assure you a) that is Ham Hock, and b) it was excellent. The (at this point mildly disapproving) Mrs Nigel had the Poached Salmon Tian, which she greatly enjoyed (as did I, as I pinched a small piece)

To follow, we had the Tuna Nicoise and the Sea Bream special. The Tuna Nicoise surprised us a little by being served hot, which is somewhat unusual, but having overcome that initial shock, the dish itself was very tasty. I had plumped for the Sea Bream, which was very flavoursome and well cooked. There was far too much risotto, however, and it almost overwhelmed the fish. I hate leaving food, but on this occasion I was defeated.

Being super saturated with Picpoul at the moment, we eschewed a bottle of that, each having a couple of other random glasses of White and Red. Nothing really stuck out, but restaurant wine is definitely all starting to merge into one in England at the moment.

Overall, it was great to find a really good local restaurant, and I highly recommend it if you find yourself stranded on the South Coast

Conclusion

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

• Food: 4.5/5
• Service: 4.5/5
• Atmosphere: 4/5
• Drinks: 4.5/5 (6/5 for the Negroni)
• Value: 4/5
• Would we come again: 5/5

The Priory Restaurant: https://www.thepriory-restaurant.co.uk