Wine tasting lunch at Spring Restaurant

Last Updated on August 21, 2025

Spring Restaurant with wines from the Rueda region in Spain

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

A beautiful, airy restaurant, Spring is situated within the historic Somerset House complex, conveniently located near the West End, Embankment and The Strand in central London. Spring is home to the renowned chef Skye Gyngell. Born in Sydney, Australia, she trained at La Varenne in Paris before moving to the United Kingdom. Whilst she was head chef at Petersham Nursery’s dining room, she earned the restaurant a Michelin star. Her style of cooking emphasises the use of the best seasonal produce, allowing the ingredients to shine. Now, at Spring Restaurant, she works closely with Fern Verrow, a biodynamic farm, to source fresh seasonal produce for the restaurant.

Spring Restaurant, formerly the Drawing Room at Somerset House, is an inviting place to dine, boasting high ceilings and stunning décor. The private dining room is perfect for a special event. This ample space is flooded with light, the green foliage adding a greenhouse feel to the room.

We were invited to a wine-tasting lunch showcasing wines from the Rueda region in Northwestern Spain. This lesser-known wine region is situated on a high plateau. Rueda is characterised by its cold winters and hot summers, providing ideal conditions for vines to flourish. Wine has been produced in Rueda for centuries, but until recently, this area was not on the international radar. The main grape variety grown in this area is Verdejo, a grape primarily found in Rueda, which produces dry, crisp white wines.

On arrival at Spring, we were welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine. Palacio de Bornos, Brut Nature made solely from Verdejo grapes using the traditional method. This was a well-balanced wine, fruity with hints of brioche. 

Our set lunch menu, with a choice of starter and main course, was based on current dishes available on the menu at Spring.

To start, I opted for the Fern Verrow leaves with Caesar dressing, eggs mimosa, chervil and garlic sourdough. This was a light and summery dish with just the right amount of piquant Caesar dressing. The eggs were soft, with the crunchy garlic croutons adding bite to the dish.

We sampled two wines from Rueda with our starters. The first, Martivilli Sauvignon 2024, is made from 100% Sauvignon grapes. This is an intense and fruity Sauvignon. The second wine, V Malcorta 2023, is made from 100% Verdejo grapes. It is a straw-coloured wine with great acidity and underlying minerality. Being a big fan of Sauvignon, I preferred the first wine we tried; it was a good match for the freshness of my starter.

For the main course, I chose the fillet of beef with slow-cooked celeriac and Café de Paris butter. The beef was full of flavour and cooked to perfection, the sauce was delicious, and there was plenty of tasty celeriac nestled under the meat.

To accompany the main course, we tasted two wines: Marqués de Riscal Limousin Gran Vino de Rueda 2023, a single-variety Verdejo wine, a pale and complex white wine, and Protos Verdejo Reserva 2020, a deep straw-coloured wine, dry and fruity, aged in barrels with toasty undertones. For me, the Protos Verdejo Reserva was robust and fruity enough to pair well with my beef main course.

Our dessert course consisted of a lemon tart with a gooseberry compote and elderflower cream. I’m fond of a good lemon tart; this one was excellent with a zingy lemon tang, soft and light elderflower cream and the tartness of gooseberries. 

The dessert wine, De Alberto Dorado Dulce, made from 100% Verdejo grapes, was a bright golden colour with real punch but not overly sweet.

Spring Restaurant offers a set lunch menu, available from Tuesday to Friday. Two courses are priced at £29, and three courses are priced at £33. Dinner is served from Tuesday to Saturday. There is a good choice of delicious-sounding dishes on the à la carte menu, with an excellent choice for vegetarians. All dietary requirements are catered for. 

From time to time, you visit a restaurant for the first time and are so impressed that you vow to return. I know that Spring Restaurant is somewhere that I would love to revisit.

For more details and to reserve a table, click here.

Spring Restaurant,
Somerset House,
New Wing,
Lancaster Place,
London, WC2R 1LA.
Telephone: (0)20 3011 0115, 

Rueda wines deserve to be better known. If you are looking for stockists for the Rueda wines we sampled, not all of the wines are available to buy in the United Kingdom:

Palacio de Bornos see  www.ultracomida.co.uk

V Malcorta 2023 is stocked by Vinissimus

Marques de Riscal is available to order from Majestic Fine Wines

Bodega de Alberto can be purchased from Aa wines