WITH the warmer weather finally arriving it seemed the perfect time to try the new spring and summer menu at the Slug and Lettuce.

Based in The Square, a stone’s throw from Winchester Cathedral, it is now firmly established as part of the city’s thriving pub and restaurant scene.

Even on a Tuesday evening, the fashionable venue was busy with people enjoying meals and post-work drinks.

For starters I had soup of the day, which was vegetable, and had a pleasantly soothing texture. My wife had ciabatta strips with olives, which met with her approval.

For the main course I tried something new in the shape of chicken souvlaki. It featured two skewers with red onion, red peppers and diced chicken along with dips and flatbreads. Essentially it was a case of ‘build your own kebab’, with the bonus that the ingredients were much healthier than most twilight takeaways that I’ve chanced upon over the years.

My better half tackled the ‘Ultimate Burger’, which lived up to its name with mushrooms, bacon and cheese piled high on something just short of a bull in a loaf.

Such was the size of the helping, she was unable to finish, and decided to sit out the sweet course.

I cracked and had the lemon tart with vanilla ice cream, which freshened the palate after a main course packed with fine flavours.

Along with two colas the bill was £35, which is a real selling point at the Slug and Lettuce.

You can have a good meal here and still have change in your pocket for a kebab later on. Not that you’ll need one after the Ultimate Burger… The Slug and Lettuce, 12-13 The Square, Winchester, SO23 9ES Tel. 01962 850666 Website: www.slugandlettuce.co.uk/winchester/ Quality of food: **** Quality of service: **** Value for money: *****