A boutique hotel on the edge of the New Forest will reopen next week after a year-long refurbishment, boasting an ambitious new seafood restaurant. The Samphire, at Stanwell House in Lymington, will serve a tasting menu at £75 a head, alongside an à la carte offering.

The listed Georgian building is privately owned and changed hands last year. It closed on 2 January this year to allow for a complete overhaul costing £3-4 million, and will offer three dining options when it opens next Friday, 16 November: The Samphire; the more casual gastropub-style Salt Bar, with direct access from the high street; and the Orangery, serving afternoon tea, cocktails and a champagne-and-oysters menu.

General manager Lance Bartlett said: “We’re really excited to be opening our doors and welcoming back guests to the hotel. This is the result of months of hard work for so many people and the last thing we wanted to do was to rush it and not have everything perfect for opening.

“We’re going to really up our game on the food and drinks. We want to bring jobs to Lymington and we want to have something that Lymington’s going to be really proud of, somewhere people know they can always come in and relax.“