About Le Poussin

Le Poussin encompasses a diverse selection of hotels, chalets and a brasserie, characterised by their distinctive intimate ambience and excellent gastronomy.

Our aim is to allow our guests to feel at home in the comfort of the 'Le Poussin' brand in a range of settings, from the tranquil New Forest to the breathtaking mountain scenery of Courchevel.

Having acquired their first Le Poussin restaurant in Brockenhurst in 1983, proprietors Alex and Caroline Aitken have worked hard over the past 23 years to transform their humble beginnings into a collection of three hotel/restaurants, two restaurants and two chalets.

With Alex, a former waiter, taking on the role of Chef and Caroline, previously a receptionist, working front of house, the couple had to learn their new roles from scratch.

Their dedication paid off with Alex gaining the New Forest's first Michelin star ever in 1994, securing various accolades including Restaurant of the Year in both the Times and the Telegraph and appearing on television shows as a Celebrity Chef, both locally and nationally.

However, the family's biggest challenge was yet to come with the acquisition in 1999 of Parkhill country house; a 20-bedroomed hotel with a 60-cover dining room in a glorious setting in Lyndhurst.

Keeping their Brockenhurst restaurant but turning it into a less formal venue re-named 'Simply Poussin', with the help of their son Justin the couple set about working their magic on the new property.

In just a year Alex had been awarded another Michelin star and two years later the hotel achieved Red Star status, putting it into the top 200 hotels in Britain.

In 2004 Parkhill was closed for on-going renovation to transform it into 'the ultimate house in the country', and the elegant Georgian Whitley Ridge was opened on the outskirts of Brockenhurst, earning Alex his third Michelin star.

Since then the 'Le Poussin' brand has snowballed with the addition of two lavish chalets and Le Portetta hotel in Courchevel in 2005, followed in 2006 by the acquisition of Latimers on the quay, a historical building steeped in heritage in the old walls of Southampton and set to become the area's finest restaurant.