A culinary world rare breed

Have you ever found yourself visiting somewhere new and thinking that you really would like to return?

- Martin Hesp travels to east Dorset to visit chef patron Alex Aitken

It must happen to all of us now and then - and last week I was on just such a return journey.The first time I ventured into the interesting corner of the South Coast in question, I was so taken with it the trip resulted in an article here in the Hesp Out West series.

Some readers may recall an article about Hengistbury Head in east Dorset and the colourful beach huts on the sand-strip at Mudeford.

Mudeford is actually a coastal community split in two - it's dual sand-spits are interrupted by the watery mouth of Christchurch Harbour - a large natural lagoon lined by reed-beds and sandbanks which combine to make up the 870-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The whole watery shooting match is protected from the prevailing gales in the English Channel by Hengistbury Head - which is something of a geological marvel in itself. Its layers of ironstone, clay, and sand are plain to see and they offer a glimpse of literally millions of years of history. Walk along the headland's paths as I did last summer and you'll come across a diverse range of habitats, from heathland and grassland in the coastal acres to marshes and deep oak woodlands on the more sheltered inland side. The views from Warren Hill at the top of the headland are truly expansive, providing panoramas across Christchurch Harbour to the Isle of Wight.

And it was while I was up there on Warren Hill that I spotted a rather wonderful-looking hotel on the far side of Christchurch Harbour. Well... blow me down if I didn't receive an email recently from a pubic relations person representing the hotel.