LUNCHTIMES are usually spent at my desk with a sandwich in hand so to go out for a three-course meal in daylight hours is a real treat.

One of the best lunches I’ve had for a long time was at the Cumberland Hotel on Bournemouth’s East Cliff last week.

The art deco style hotel has just been awarded an AA rosette for its Bar Ventana as well as receiving two additional AA star points making it the highest rated three-star hotel in Bournemouth and Poole.

Last month it launched its new autumn menu so we felt duty bound to check it out.

For starters I had king prawns (£6.95) served in their shells, flambéd in Jerez sherry and served on a bed of mixed salad leaves dressed with lemon and white aioli. The combination of flavours worked sublimely well – but I have to admit my husband’s starter was even better.

He chose the homemade salmon fish cake (£6.45) – a new addition to the brasserie menu and one of the chef’s recommendations.

Cooked to perfection, it was slightly crispy on the outside and packed with soft, moist salmon inside which practically melted in the mouth and was served on a bed of sautéed fresh baby spinach and a creamy sorrel sauce.

When it came to choosing a main course I decided to go with the chef’s recommendation this time too and ordered the pan-roasted fillet of monkfish (£15.95) and I wasn’t disappointed.

Meaty chunks of succulent white fish were presented on a bed of stir-fried vegetables including crispy fried leek, micro coriander leaves, roasted red peppers and a slightly spicy red pepper coulis which really complemented the subtle flavour of the fish.

I also ordered bubble and squeak (£3.75) which was an excellent side order – creamy mashed potato and fine shreds of cabbage.

Meanwhile my husband was making short work of his gourmet BBQ bacon cheeseburger (£12.45). All their beef burgers are handmade on the premises with 7oz of premium steak mince and served in ciabatta bread with sweet potato chips or julienne fries.

All the portions are a good size but we still managed to find a little room for dessert. I had the strawberry brulee with shortbread fingers off the weekly specials menu (£5.25). It was creamy but not too sweet with chunks of juicy strawberries hidden just below the crisp sugar-coated surface.

My husband had the almond, rhubarb and apple crumble (£4.95) served with a dainty jug of warm custard which he reckoned was as good as his mother makes!

We rounded off the meal with two vanilla lattes. Perfect.

This is a great place for a special lunch or a midweek meal that won’t break the bank as they offer a 2-4-1 deal on Mondays to Thursday from 12 to 9pm. It is well worth it as they certainly don’t scrimp on quality.