The Jetty Christchurch Review: Alex Aitken’s Waterside Restaurant at Harbour Hotel
- Martin Hesp
- 16 hours ago
- 6 min read
Have you ever found yourself visiting somewhere new and thinking that you really would like to return? It must happen to all of us now and then - and last week I was on just such a return journey.
The first time I ventured into the interesting corner of the South Coast in question, I was so taken with it the trip resulted in an article here in the Hesp Out West series.
Some readers may recall an article about Hengistbury Head in east Dorset and the colourful beach huts on the sand-strip at Mudeford.
Mudeford is actually a coastal community split in two - it’s dual sand-spits are interrupted by the watery mouth of Christchurch Harbour - a large natural lagoon lined by reed-beds and sandbanks which combine to make up the 870 acre SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Needless to say, it is a popular place for birdwatchers.
Hengistbury Head and the View Across Christchurch Harbour
The whole watery shooting match is protected from the prevailing gales in the English Channel by Hengistbury Head - which is something of a geological marvel in itself. Its layers of ironstone, clay, and sand are plain to see and they offer a glimpse of literally millions of years of history.
Walk along the headland’s well-maintained paths as I did last summer and you’ll come across a diverse range of habitats, from heathland and grassland in the coastal acres to marshes and deep oak woodlands on the more sheltered inland side. The views from Warren Hill at the top of the headland are truly expansive, providing panoramas across Christchurch Harbour to the Isle of Wight.
And it was while I was up there on Warren Hill that I spotted a rather wonderful looking hotel on the far side of Christchurch Harbour. Well… blow me down if I didn’t receive an email recently from a pubic relations person representing the hotel.
On this return visit to east Dorset, I checked into the Harbour Hotel Christchurch and dined at The Jetty, the waterside restaurant led by chef Alex Aitken.
An Invitation to The Jetty at Harbour Hotel Christchurch
“I would love to invite you to join us at The Jetty at Harbour Hotel, Christchurch to mark a special milestone,” wrote the PR. “The waterside restaurant celebrates its 15th anniversary this winter - which is notable because The Jetty has become one of the South Coast’s best-loved dining destinations, renowned for its produce-led cooking, relaxed coastal atmosphere and uninterrupted harbour views.
“Led by award-winning Chef Patron Alex Aitken, the restaurant has spent the past 15 years championing seasonal ingredients and strong relationships with local fishermen and producers.”
Well, blow me down twice in a row… Why? Because a dozen years ago I spent an entire day fishing and cooking with Alex Aitken and wrote about the experience in this newspaper. We were in the South Hams, and Alex was taking time out from The Jetty to do a seafood masterclass down at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel, which is part of the same group. And this is what I jotted in my notebook as we bobbed up and down catching not a single fish…
“Alex Aitken is one of those larger-than-life types who seems utterly undaunted by either a lack of fish, or anything else for that matter. Which is probably why, as an untrained, unschooled chef - he managed to retain a Michelin star for over 14 years at various establishments he has either cooked at or owned.”
The lack of fish was not a problem as Alex had plenty of fresh seafood that he - or someone at least - had caught earlier… And as he began to prepare various creatures of the deep, Alex told me about the idea of getting people to go fishing, then returning to a professional kitchen environment to watch it being cooked: “I like to go out with people and do the catch-it-cook-it-eat-it thing. It’s great to know exactly where the fish comes from, but it’s also about the freshness.
“A lot of people are worried about how to treat fish - and they also get very species-particular. They’ll only eat Dover-sole, not lemon-sole. They’ll only eat cod, not whiting. I think this helps give people more respect for the fish we catch.”
A dozen years later, here I was consuming a monumental fish dinner at The Jetty and talking to Alex once again. This time our chat covered the remarkable career of this rather enigmatic chef. Aitken is a rare breed in the culinary world: a Michelin-starred chef who never attended catering college and never worked in another person's kitchen. His journey began far from the kitchen-pass, starting as a 15-year-old on a fishing trawler in Dunbar, Scotland. These early experiences in the "dangerous" world of commercial fishing gave him an intuitive, lifelong understanding of seafood and a unique rapport with fishermen that allows him to source the best “wild food” directly from the quay.
Chef Alex Aitken – From Fishing Trawler to Michelin Star
Transitioning from the sea to the dining room, the young Aitken moved south and, initially, built his reputation as a maître d' in the classic style - the ultimate front-of-house “fixer”. It wasn’t until 1983, with the birth of his son AJ, that he and his wife Caroline took the plunge into restaurant ownership in the New Forest. Despite having never cooked professionally, Alex talks about being struck by a “great infection” for the craft.
“I never went to college. I never learned to be a chef... I just got that bug. It was like an infection, but a great big infection. I just wanted more and more,” he told me the other day as we chatted in a comfortable at the Harbour Hotel, Christchurch.
Driven by a relentless work ethic, he taught himself the trade by eating at the world’s best restaurants and working “night and day”, eventually holding a Michelin star for total of 15 years.
“I’ve never ever worked in anybody else’s kitchens but my own,” Alex mused, explaining that this allows him to have a “very special relationship” with both his staff and his suppliers. “We see our customers as friends, not enemies. My staff don’t fear a customer arriving - they say, ‘That’s great, it’s another customer.’ And that is important. It’s vital. Why? Well, accountancy has managed the concept 'hospitality' out of this business in many ways - but not if I can help it.
“As for our suppliers, if I visit one of the local quays and start talking to the fishermen, within a very short space of time I’m on the boat... I can build that relationship quite quickly. And I pay good dollar.”
Although the Harbour Hotel Group is quite a large corporate concern, Alex sees The Jetty as a true family enterprise, working alongside his son and daughter-in-law within the business. AJ is general manager of the Harbour Hotel Christchurch which has The Jetty in its grounds and, like his father, he is a vocal advocate for “true hospitality”.
Dining at The Jetty – A Dorset Restaurant That Defies the Seasons
Their his success is certainly visible in the numbers. Even on the rain-soaked Tuesday in February when we were there, The Jetty restaurant was packed. Same applied for the luncheon service. This, the pair told me, is achieved through a combination of high-value “story-driven” offers and also that staff culture which views customers as friends rather than enemies.
I did not want to ask Alex his age but given his lengthy career I did wonder if he was still a hands-on chef working all the shifts…
“Less and less, if I’m honest. I’m of a certain age! I’m in my fifth decade of cooking. But I am hands-on with every single menu, and I am in the kitchen at some point every single day. I also do something called ‘Lunch with Alex’ on the first Friday of the month, where I cook three courses live for the guests. It’s about talking to people.”
And this, no doubt, is part of the reason his restaurant continues to defy the seasonal lulls seen along many parts of the South West coast. Yes, east Dorset is much more urban than vast swathes of the rural West Country, so there are “plenty of chimney pots” (which is how hospitality industry experts sometimes refer to a potential customer-base) but to be continuously busy during the back-end of winter would certainly be the envy of many a restauranteur, hotelier or publican in this region. Having experience a meal at The Jetty and a night at the comfortable Harbour Hotel Christchurch, I can tell you that the Aitken team gets everything just right.
Harbour Hotel Christchurch – Fact File
Harbour Hotel Christchurch is a waterfront boutique hotel overlooking Mudeford Quay on the Dorset coast. The hotel has 64 bedrooms and suites, many with views across the water, a luxury HarSPA and The Jetty restaurant.
Rooms from £135 per night, based on two adults sharing B&B.
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