"GOOD, honest food" is how head chef Matt Seager describes the menu at The Boathouse,

Idyllically located right on Christchurch Quay, the restaurant - unsurprisingly - focuses on fresh seafood during the summer months, much of it caught locally, while winter warmers make a welcome return to the menu when the weather turns.

Matt, who has been overseeing the kitchen at The Boathouse for the last four years, says the restaurant does not really have a particular style, being guided more by the best quality produce they can source and by the wants and needs of its customers.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner all year round, diners can enjoy a full menu available all day Saturday and Sunday, while on weekdays, food is limited to pizzas and paninis between 3pm and 6pm.

The menu changes seasonally, three or four times a year, with new dishes sitting alongside regulars' favourites.

"It's really good, wholesome food, local wherever possible," says Matt, who trained in his home county of Somerset and gained experience in London before working at Carey's Manor in Brockenhurst and at the Norfolk Royale in Bournemouth.

"Good honest food - good quality for good money."

When it comes to the menu, Matt, 45, and co-owner Jeremy Carpenter come up with a varied selection which, for the summer, features Isle of Wight lobster, Lymington crab and mackerel from Christchurch.

Winter favourites include beef bourguignon, pheasant, venison and rabbit, while fish again tends to be the main focus of the daily changing specials.

"Fishmongers phone me on a daily basis to tell me what's good at the moment," says Matt.

"We've got a lot of regulars who ask if the menu is changing soon - they want to see what's coming on."

Matt and Jeremy also take into account their customers' dietary requirements, and now feature gluten free dishes, as well as superfood salads and grains.

In addition, Matt oversees an authentic Spanish tapas menu, which is served in the upstairs Chandelier Bar.

Matt likes to ensure the rest of the kitchen team are involved in creating the menu, and is keen to pass on his knowledge to his juniors.

One protege he is particularly proud of is junior sous chef Chris Nichols, who joined the Boathouse as a kitchen porter three years ago.

"I had a call from Bournemouth College to say they had a chap that was finding it hard to find his way," says Matt.

"Academically was not brilliant, but practically was very good. I got him over here, started him off as a kitchen porter and brought him through to the kitchen side. I saw that he had some love for it, some potential.

"He's going to be made up to my junior sous chef so I'm quite proud."

Chris, 20, is thrilled that he's had the opportunity to develop his skills in a working kitchen.

"I didn't expect to get as far as I have, I was expecting it to take a lot longer as well. I've still got a lot to learn but I'm comfortable here - it's like a family."

SIGNATURE DISH:

Seared monkfish

Pan fry the monkfish before setting aside under a grill to keep warm. Remove some of the oil from the pan and brown the chorizo before adding the chopped, lemon-scented potatoes, which have already been roasted with rosemary and lemon zest until nearly cooked. Cook in the pan with the chorizo.

Add samphire to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve the fish on a bed of chorizo, potatoes and samphire and add some white crab meat.