WITH the weather getting more and more miserable, it is the perfect time to eat warmer food and meals that will bring a bit of spice into your life.

The Christopher Hotel Bar And Grill in Eton has launched a new menu full of flavoursome foods to fight the winter blues.

Old favourites include steak-and-kidney pudding and coq au vin, but there are also hearty Moroccan dishes of tagine and lamb koftas among the options.

Dining on a cold, wet, dark evening, the restaurant was very inviting and had a Christmasy feel.

I opted for the grilled halloumi and Mediterranean vegetables brochettes with red pepper sauce. This proved to be the perfectly sized starter for me as I chose the trio of grilled sausages with mashed potato and onion gravy for my main course.

The fresh flavours of the Mediterranean vegetables contrasted with the main course, which featured delicious sausages with a herby kick. It offered a homely and warming taste that was perfect for the evening.

My dining partner went down the spice route for starter and had the tiger prawns piri-piri with garlic bread. This dish, he said, had the perfect blend of spices to warm him up.

For the main course he opted for the kebabs of monkfish wrapped in smoked salmon served on a bed of mixed leaves, asparagus and cherry tomatoes drizzled with miso jus.

The two fish went together perfectly, with the other ingredients adding to it to give a lighter main course, leaving some room for pudding.

When it came to dessert, I went for the deliciously sweet and crumbly banoffee pie with cream. This was melt-in-your-mouth and looked so enticing that we even forgot to take a photograph of it!

My partner was also halfway through his dessert of stewed apples with oat crumble and custard when we realised we couldn't show everyone how tasty it all looked.

Pictures aside, the taste of everything was superb and we will definitely be returning on another wintery night.