THE term “being green” is a bit vague for me. You can recycle until the cows come home and add as many solar panels to your roof as you like but if you happen to drive, say, a Ferrari F40 to work, are you still green? If so, what shade?

I’m not sure, but I know there are no such doubts about the Green House’s eco ethos.

Situated on East Cliff, it’s one of Bournemouth’s newest hotels and claims to be the greenest of its size in Britain – it’s got the solar panels, ground-source heat pumps, natural paint and reclaimed furniture to prove it.

Apparently, the staff even cycle to work. The green theme continues in the kitchen, where Gordon Jones is at the helm. The AA rosette chef once fronted BBC3’s Virgin Cooks, and has a penchant for left-field cuisine, which is what lured my girlfriend and me to the restaurant last weekend.

Keeping our side of the bargain we cycled to the boutique establishment where we were greeted by jovial staff and the most adventurous menu I’ve seen in Bournemouth – a nine-course tasting menu at £45 per head (weekend only). As enticing as the à la carte option looked, it didn’t stand a chance.

An enthusiastic sommelier advised us what wine to have with various dishes (the wine list even gives you the carbon footprint of each bottle), so we took his advice and sat in anticipation.

Aside from its patterned wallpaper, the minimalism of the restaurant is slightly prosaic, although nothing a few pictures couldn’t remedy.

Mind you the presentation of our first course (roast rabbit, radish and creamed sweetcorn), compensated for the décor. I’d have felt guilty for ruining this work of art, had it not tasted so delectable – the variety of intense flavours in such a small dish was incredible.

Liz, who “hates rabbit”, loved it.

The next course was even better; an onion squash velouté (served in a pot made out of a round courgette) with a vegetable bhajee. It was magical – a perfect 10.

The wine pairings were spot on as we savoured our way through the confit of duck (oh my), the albacore tuna (in green tomato water), smoked kid with damsons (yes, goat – delicious) and skate wing with beefsteak mushrooms.

We ran out of superlatives.

Leaving a sweet taste in our mouths was the jelly and plums (cooked so well they’d nearly turned to jam), followed by beautiful banana and bitter chocolate. Hands down it was the most innovative and exciting cuisine we’ve had in Bournemouth, which came in at just shy of £120 (including wine) – worth every penny.