It's a secret, of course. But then again, when you are the creator of probably Hampshire's finest steak and ale pie you are not likely to reveal the recipe.

It's not that executive chef of the Hampshire Four Seasons Hotel Cyrille Pannier is being coy, he just knows he oversees what is undoubtedly one of the finest kitchens in the south of England.

But then again what else should one expect from the man who was once personal chef to Harrod's owner Mohammed Al-Fayed.

I had been searching for the ultimate steak and ale pie for some time now.

Tired of the frankly miserable mass produced offerings served up at many pubs that should know better throughout the county, I had spread the net wide.

True there are many fine pies to be had with their succulent pastry and deep, home-made fillings. But all too many turn out to be watery, microwave heated mush poured into a dish with a pie-crust unceremoniously dumped on top.

To be honest I wasn't actually in search of my quest when I enjoyed lunch at The Four Seasons, which sits in its own glorious grounds in Dogmersfield near Fleet. The Sunday lunch buffet is renowned for its glorious Hampshire Farmers' Market Buffet and I had been looking forward to a wide range of locally produced food. Greenfield pork, Blackmoor venison, Milford salad, Mapleleaf watercress, Waterloo and Wigmore cheese; the selection is enormous and it's little wonder the buffet has become a county-wide sensation.

From freshly carved smoked salmon to marinated anchovies, smoked trout in horseradish cream to hot pepper smoked salmon rillette the fish dishes alone could satisfy the appetite. But then there's the need to leave room for the honey and mustard potato salad, the herbed garlic roasted mushroom, the celeriac remoulade and the chargrilled asparagus to name just a few salad delights on offer.

But even these, and including the maple leaf watercress soup (divine) and the chicken liver and fois gras parfait or veal and sweetbread terrine, are mere tasters for the main events comprising the traditional Sunday carvery of meats raised on the hotel's own estate.

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, roast lamb, loin of Greenfield pork, honey glazed ham, and of course, the Beef and Hog's Back Ale Pie. Simply fantastic.

Now, for those of you who think a pie is a pie, let me try and educate you. This is the Rolls-Royce of pies, the West End to the am dram village hall, the champagne to the house white, the real pine to the fake tinsel tree. Deep, succulent, satisfying. It oozes taste - and gravy. The beef melts, the flavours flow, the pastry is just the right side of plump - yes plump - and gorgeously heavy. Just as a true steak and ale pie should be.

Cyrille joined The Four Seasons in Hampshire from Nevis in the Caribbean where he had been chef at another of their properties. There he had created a fusion of local and traditional food. One of his novel creations had been a dive-and-dine day, where guests could scuba-dive to catch their own lobster and later cook it for their meal that evening. Needless to say it had become very popular.

The hotel played host to many famous guests and Cyrille appears in a cook book along with actor Morgan Freeman with proceeds going to charities to help rebuild the island of Grenada after it suffered hurricane damage.

Cyrille, born in France, joined The Four Seasons ten years ago working at Austin Texas, Palm Beach and Dallas following his spell as personal chef for Al-Fayed.

Of his time with the billionaire businessman, renowned for getting what he wants, Cyrille is understandably discreet. But he admits it was an interesting time in his life.

"I enjoyed it immensely," he told me over desserts. "Obviously everything had to be the best, but then you would expect that."

But the change from high-flying chef to one of the world's most famous tycoons and life as a celebrity chef in the sunny Caribbean to here in Hampshire must have been immense. What has struck him most about living and working in the county?

"It was when I began to discover the local food and produce I just thought, Wow! There is all this marvellous food being raised and grown here on the doorstep there is so much we can create here without having to go around the world for the best.'"

Such has been the success of the monthly Hampshire Farmer's Market Buffet that it now a weekly event at The Four Seasons Hampshire and its fame is spreading.

What's more, with so much of the produce grown organically within a 25-mile radius of the hotel the brunch has one of the lowest green' footprints anywhere.

The food is calculated to travel no more than 500 miles before it reaches the table, compared with the average in the UK for Sunday lunch of 35,000 miles.

So, after we had sat chatting for a while, would Cyrille tell me the secret of his pie?

Yes, I understood the beef was aged for an age. Of course the ale was the best possible, and Cyrille had followed the whole process from rearing the animals to their slaughter. But there had to be more to it than that? A smile, but he was having none of it.

But he did reveal the hotel has started an annual competition between the staff to see who can create the best steak and ale pie in a cook-off between teams.

Now that's what I call an Olympic sport.

3:47pm Thursday 3rd January 2008

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