Oatlands Park Hotel is infused with history. It stands on the site of a Tudor palace much loved by Elizabeth I, was rebuilt in Georgian & Victorian times & became a hotel in 1856. Nowadays it’s popular as a scenic venue for business & wedding celebrations. Warm colours, crystal chandeliers & high ceilings define the spacious Broadwater Restaurant, which overlooks Broadwater Lake & the hotel’s landscaped gardens. Menus reflect the demands of the resident clientele & there’s a strong British accent to the modern European repertoire: posh shepherd’s pie (braised lamb shoulder, root vegetables, lamb jus), for example, or John Dory with chips, pea purée, pickled onions & crispy batter bits. Goats’ cheese millefeuille or chicken & pistachio terrine with pickled wild mushrooms make a good start, while a pair of apple puddings – pannacotta & turnover – provides a fitting finale. Sunday lunch is a carvery buffet.