Well-beloved restaurant a treat for first-class foodies

of substance that has seen its fair share of light and shade.

Right, but what about the food? I’ve decided to solicit the help of some

Dorset Shellfish are a Weymouth fishing family who catch all their own crab, lobster and line-caught fish in the waters around Portland. They cook, prepare and sell their produce, which is made into dressed crab and lobster, pâtés, crab cakes and more. Find them at Shaftesbury, Poundbury and Sherborne farmers’ markets and in their premises on Portland on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10am-1pm.

07881 632311

@dorsetshellfish dorset-shellfish.co.uk first-class foodie-friends to find out. A strong Irish HR woman and a towering London banker man. Well, it’s close enough. The compact menu and extensive wine list here are very upscale. I chose whitebait (best I’ve ever had) and my friends a soufflé (light and nongreasy) and cod with bacon and cabbage also had the thumbs up. For mains it was monkfish linguine (the rich tomato sauce shone out), our veggie rep had the roasted spiced cauliflower in a pungent intense tikka sauce thickened with ground cashew and the pork belly was dispatched in good measure. His mash was so good we ordered more for the table. Next was affogato, cheesecake and (upon asking) half a cheeseboard. Thank you. We were also impressed by the amount of wines that were available by the glass and consistently through the evening the service was impeccable.

Be warned…if you’re not “lucky” enough to live in Evershot the drive into the village can be harrowing, full of drama and suspense. Blind twists and turns down impossibly narrow Dorset country lanes with the threat of tragedy around every next corner. Just like a Thomas Hardy novel really. There, I did it again...