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The Dukes Head is a warm, elegant pub and eating house located on Laindon Common Road in the small commuter town of Billericay, ideal for the enjoyment of a few drinks and a meal.

Backed by service that is cheerful, brisk and totally in keeping with the friendly nature of a good English gastropub this charming pub has a warm and inviting bar and a spacious dining room where you?ll find plenty of regulars dropping in. A log fire in the handsome exposed brick inglenook in winter, white leather chairs accompanied by sturdy wooden tables well matched with the quarry-tiled floor and an oak beamed ceiling with subdued lighting is the sort of interior you can expect at The Dukes Head.

The atmosphere is one of joviality, and when the sun is out there are few things better than an al fresco meal; a deck area and the garden overlooking the woods set with comfortable chairs and benches, easily seating around forty diners at a time provides the setting

The kitchen?s approach to cooking is mostly modern British, comfortably interwoven with some Mediterranean influences. It ranges from traditional favourites such as fish and chips and steaks to freshly made pizzas and pastas with the chef?s daily specials displaying the finest fresh market ingredients. There?s something for everyone and for all occasions and you don?t have to go for the full works if you don?t want to; just have a snack and a lingering drink in the bar with your friends.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, Greek mezze with taramasalata, red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbread, or Italian antipasti with cured meats, dolcelatte, roasted vegetables, parmesan, rocket, stuffed peppers, curly green chillies and warm stone baked bread.

The grills for hearty eaters are well worth a visit and choices include spit chicken, ribeye steak and peroni beer battered haddock among others. These are all served with frites, garlic butter, brandy peppercorn sauce, béarnaise, burnt tomato and onion salsa or mango and chilli.

Specialities here include beef tomato Moroccan cous cous with feta, mint and harissa, fired piccante pizza with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato, and jalapenos, alfalfa sprouts, piquillo peppers, green beans and rocket salad, and Perisian spiced lamb chops, tzatziki, tomato, and red onion salad. Or perhaps a spit chicken cacciatora sauce served with frites, and veal paillard, lemon gremolata, asparagus, savoyard potatoes, and masala jus appeal to the adventurous palates, among many other dishes on the extensive menu.

Warm brownie with vanilla ice cream, and dark chocolate sauce, summer berry Eton mess, and vanilla pod cheesecake with blackcurrant compote are some of the crowd pullers in the pudding section.

The bar stocks a wide range of cask ales, super chilled draught and bottled beers, and the wine list features everything from crisp refreshing whites, trendy pinks to fat juicy reds by the bottle or glass.

Check in on their Website for further details, changing menus that follow the seasons, and special promotions. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

Strada describes itself as 'a group of stylish, contemporary Italian restaurants, serving good quality, simple and freshly prepared dishes'. The statement sums up what this group of around seventy restaurants offers to people looking for good Italian food. The first outlet opened in Battersea in 1999 and their clientele has been increasing steadily ever since.

Though Strada has grown into a fair sized group, each outlet retains the feel of being a local neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The menu includes pastas, risottos, salads, and fish dishes, but they are best known for their quality pizzas.

They present authentic Italian dishes in contemporary surroundings and aim to use only the freshest and finest ingredients, such as Luganica sausages, Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy to provide exactly the kind of rustic, traditional dishes one would expect to find travelling around its regions.

A meal could kick off with zuppa vongole e fregola, a traditional clam soup with Sardinian fregola pasta grains, wine, chilli and parsley, served with bread, or the delicious sautéed king prawns with garlic, white wine, chilli, and lemon butter served with your choice of bread.

Move on to their creamy risotto verdure, freshly grilled asparagus, broad beans, peas, spring onions, zucchini, green beans, white wine and mint, finished with baby spinach leaves. Or you could opt for the healthier, tagliolini nero granchio, black cuttlefish ink pasta with crab, courgette, red and yellow peppers, spring onion, and a hint of chilli and parsley. A real treat for the taste buds comes in the form of the bistecca manzo, a 10oz rosemary-marinated char-grilled, rib-eye steak with fries and fresh rocket.

A range of pizzas, all spun by hand, is an integral feature of each restaurant. They include the rossa, with spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic, fresh oregano, tomato and mozzarella. Nor are vegetarians are overlooked, and can be found tucking into dishes such as fiorentina, made of spinach cooked with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper with mozzarella, parmesan, tomato and an egg.

For those wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth, there is torroncino affogato, an iced nougat semi freddo with a shot of espresso to pour over, or a classic Italian tiramisu and, as you might expect coffee to round off the meal.

A wine list consisting of purely regional Italian wines, beers and liqueurs, all carefully chosen to complement the menu comes as no surprise and in addition, every table receives a complimentary bottle of purified water.

For further details including their latest news, menus and deals, and to find a Strada nearest to you, their Website certainly warrants a visit.

Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.

Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.

The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.

The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.

Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.

Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.

Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.

You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.

This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.

Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.

There's a reason why Darren Bennet stays in the top rung of Billericay's leading chefs ever since he established The Magic Mushroom on Barleylands Road in 1996. The restaurant's relaxed setting and contemporary menu with a traditional influence are certainly a draw here.

Start with marinated king prawns with spicy guacamole dip and smoked breast of partridge and pigeon with tomato and peach chutney. To keep you company in between courses are side dishes such as mashed potatoes, hand cut chips with aioli and creamed cabbage. For main course order roasted rump of salt marsh lamb with Boulangère potatoes, braised red cabbage and rosemary jus, and fillets of sea bass on garlic mash, crushed pea and mustard velouté and crispy leeks. End the meal on a sweet note with raspberry baked Alaska with framboise syrup and fresh raspberries, and dark chocolate marquis.

Situated in the idyllic Barleylands, The Magic Mushroom Restaurant anages to offers its diners some splendid views of the area.

The Village Bar and Grill seems to be the perfect place to congregate with friends, family or even colleagues for a delicious meal and fun atmosphere. Located at the Southern end of Billericay's High Street, the warm and relaxing ambience and the Mediterranean feel of the décor helps in building a holiday mood out of a simple dining experience.

Starters from their regular a la carte, include pan fried duck with Chinese five spice and soy sauce followed by main course of beef goulash, rump steak strips cooked with onions, peppers and spices on rice and topped with sour cream. Char grilled lamb steak or the seafood risotto are other delicious options and for dessert, the warm chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce ought to pander to your sweet tooth. The concise drinks list offers wines by the glass or bottle, while champagnes, sparkling wines, beers and cocktails complete the picture.