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The Fentiman Arms is the very epitome of England, and only a short stroll from the Oval, just south of the River Thames, it provides a perfect haven for post-match discussions, or even watching the event itself live on the big screens. A gastropub offering its own take on British food, it is full of comfortable chairs, heritage décor, rows of bookcases, log fire in season, and lighting that creates rather than destroys, in fact, this is the place to be at almost any time of the day.

In the summer the back doors open out on to a wild country beer garden, and the prospect of a barbecue is distinctly rosy. On the first floor a function room has its own bar and is available for hire all year round. Whatever the occasion, board meeting, birthdays, reunions or dinner parties, give them a call to discuss how best they can meet your particular needs.

Lunch and dinner is served every day and whilst the menus change daily to suit the market and the seasons the quality of the food never wavers from the high standard regulars have come to expect.

Lunch is a one, two or three course event, depending on your wishes, and has about it more than a hint of home cooking and the sort of dishes that are associated those who like their food uncomplicated, wholesome and filling. You don't have to be an Old Etonian to raise an appreciative eyebrow at strawberry Eton Mess, and a trio of Granny's favourites could yield portions of spotted dick, sticky toffee pudding and rhubarb syllabub. For those in a hurry substantial sandwiches as in char-grilled minute steak, caramelised onions and Tewkesbury mustard, or Somerset brie with sweet pickles and rocket leaves make welcome solutions.

Not everyone is rushed off their feet, and lunch with a friend before going on to the Oval for the match could start with a tomato, basil and golden cross goat's cheese tart,or the soup of the day. The smoked fish pie makes an excellent dish at any time, or perhaps the rump steak and fried onion sandwich with French fries appeals.

Eggs Florentine can be taken as a large or small course, but a Fentiman burger with streaky bacon, mature cheddar and French fries has only one dimension, along with the grilled King prawn salad, sweet tomato and chilli dressing. A simple smoked applewood Ploughman's seldom fails to hit the spot, and beer battered haddock with pea purée, tartare sauce and French fries does credit to our national dish. The menu says that "puddings, cheeses, digestifs, coffees, teas and more are always there to finish you off". I think they mean "your meal", though it's certainly possible to eat well enough to bring about something more arresting.

This is perhaps a good moment to introduce the wine list inspired and selected by John Clevely, Master of Wine and founder of the Geronimo Inns group, with some carefully chosen bottles from around the world that embrace New and Old Worlds with delicacy and skill.

Menus change, events happen at The Fentiman - stay ahead of the game by reference to their Website, only a click away.

The Kings Head, sitting atop Winchmore Hill, is a North London presence of the Geronimo group of excellent pubs, who have managed to achieve with elan the tricky task of making that new phenomenen, the gastro pub, traditional. This is no mean feat, but by carefully selecting pubs that have potential character and then tweaking them, in some cases more than a bit, they've done it.

At The Kings Head there is a large bar, a vaulted dining room of potentially gothic aspiration, added to by a covered terrace and decked beer garden. The first floor houses the air conditioned Long Room, a space ideal for gathering of up to 40 people seated, or standing for 70, and has its own bar.

Watch out for the suits of armour and thrones, all adding to the quirkiness of this splendid place, a temple indeed to to Bacchus and Ceres, or as Footloose magazine put it, "there's no stripped pine and designer suits here". Rather is there a feeling of having just dropped in to the junior common room of an Oxbridge college, where style and good company go hand in hand.

The fodder is served from two attractive menus, one each for lunch and dinner. The lunch menu moves subtly from soup and sandwiches, through toasted Cumberland sausage and fried egg sandwich to full blown 10oz rib eye steak, with tomato, mushrooms and chips, and most points between.

For instance you might feel tempted by the fish pie made with smoked haddock, salmon and saffron, or a King's hamburger with streaky bacon and cheese. Such worthy standbys as steak, kidney and mushroom pie with some root vegetables and mash, or chicken Caesar salad with parmesan and croutons does it for many, and for those in a hurry the honey roasted ham and English mustard sandwich in white bloomer is ideal. The point is whether it's three course or sandwich lunch you're after it's all there and it's good ? believe me.

Dinner takes on a slightly more formal approach with pan fried swordfish, a pork fillet with creamed petit pois, bacon and sausage mash, or some very tasty lamb rump with fondant potato, wild mushrooms and a red wine and thyme jus. Penne pasta with chilli, pancetta and parsley and tomato sauce brings a breath of Italy to proceedings and for both lunch and dinner there is always a good array of desserts on the blackboard.

On matters of drink they are fortunate to have the assistance of John Clevely, Master of Wine and father of the founder of Geronimo, who with customary skill has produced a wine list that is comprehensive, tremendous value and explores the world most effectively. There really is something there for everyone.

Do keep The Kings Head in mind when it comes to party time. They know how to do these sort of things and the setting, together with their advice, if wanted, could be just what you're looking for.

Their friendly Website is always available for updates on menus, functions and events.

The neo-classical interior is graced by domed skylights by Pietro Agostini and curving banquettes provide a particularly plush surface for the hind quarters of the well heeled. What better place than to regale ones self with a big boy's lunch whilst taking a short break on a hard day making money?

The full à la carte does not stay still for long but expect to find dishes along the lines of starters of carpaccio of tuna, oriental spices and toasted sesame seeds, radish, ginger and lime vinaigrette, or salad of Cornish crab and avocado with brown crab meat, herb mayonnaise, lemon oil and bloody Mary sorbet. However, the scallops 'mid cuit' with citrus and tarragon, virgin olive oil, liquorice and fennel will bring a quiet smile of delight to the connoisseur.

From the main fish courses the seared sea bass with fennel seeds, Provençal vegetables, basil mash and warm saffron and tomato vinaigrette is a rare treat, whilst amongst the meat and poultry the limousin veal fillet comes to table with sweetbreads and asparagus Chablis and sorrel velouté puff pastry.

From an impressive list of puddings keep a lookout for a chocolate, whisky and coffee praline lombardo. There's also a feuillantine of caramelised Granny Smith and Guinness ice cream topped off deliciously with glazed hazelnuts. A wine list that is impressive in its scope includes legendary names and years.

1 Lombard Street - The Brasserie and Restaurant are bookable online, please use the drop-down booking box to bring up Brasserie in it; be careful to use Restaurant if you want to book that.

Their Website is well worth visiting as a prelude to the real thing.

The Orange Tree has been a public house since 1755 and can be found on the long and winding Totteridge Lane, near the village green. The dining area looks stylish and welcoming - done up in warm shades of brown and copper, offset by polished wood - this belies its age and comes as a pleasant surprise.

It's well stocked, spacious bar serves different beers on tap, ranging from standard lagers to European speciality beers and some cask ales. Apart from several champagnes for special occasions, they also have a fine balance of new and old world wines to suit varied tastes.

Contemporary pubs such as these usually share a number of characteristics. An important feature is space, preferably a restaurant where you are comfortable, not over-awed, and not sharing elbow space with the next table, however sociable they may be. Good, too, to have a roomy and well stocked bar where you can actually get served without undue delay. After all, drinking should be taken seriously.

But of course there are other factors, not least of which is the food and drink. The term 'gastropub' covers a multitude of blessings and it is possible to see influences of brasserie, bistro, restaurant and even café at work within the great gastro umbrella. So expect to find no one single cuisine, but a blend designed to provide something for everybody, no matter what their treat may be.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of Italian meats, dolcelatte, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with flatbreads. Amongst the starters, expect to find freshly made soup, smoked salmon with pomegranate molasses, fennel and micro herb salad, or gambas with rocket, garlic aioli and rustic bread. Look, too, for scallops of the day.

The salads offer chargrilled chicken, courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn and avocado with pecans, mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette tends to please.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; look for a classic margherita of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pomodoro and basil, the rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes, or a piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños. Pastas include linguini with tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine, or tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan. For the big event there is always roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes.

Finally, the classic burger joins the ranks of respectable restaurant food and puts in an appearance on the menu with gherkin, onion, mustard mayo, bacon, relish and frites. The spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and frites is another dish worth trying. For hearty eaters there is a good rib eye steak with smoked paprika and tomato butter, watercress and frites.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes tomato and red onions, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and there is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

A well constructed Website enables you to keep in touch with menu changes or forthcoming events.  Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

This is a strange combination of country pub and urban fringe riverside. Yes, there's a cement works alongside, but nobody seems very concerned about it, and the other qualities of the place seem to be considered far more important. Inside the décor and general setting is of a traditional London pub that has been given a mild makeover, the sort of place that will keep almost everybody happy. Whilst food is available within during the winter, at the first hint of spring, call of the cuckoo, or frisson of warmth depending on your whim, the barbecue in the garden is flashed up and all the old favourites become available, minus the obligatory charcoal so traditionally bestowed by those whose capabilities are no match for their aspirations.

The matching bar has been described as colonial, hardly a very tactful piece of descriptive writing given the current change of population in London, but hey! why should we care when nobody at The Ship seems in the slightest bit bothered? The sunken garden is renowned for its ability to restore the frazzled soul, yes, frizzled even, and there's a verandah on which to sit, presumably wearing your white topee and sipping a gin sling.

As to the cuisine, there really isn't one. An easy marriage between bistro, brasserie and barbecue, whilst it may sound like a run-down firm of solicitors, probably describes it best. A place of great fun and hilarity, total informality with decent food, and a generous range of drinks. The Ship? Oh, yes, moored on the river alongside the pub. Perhaps they decided to transport the cement by road.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

One of the recent exciting developments in London has been the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush, and there in the thick of it is Fire& Stone, ensuring that this shopper's paradise has easy access to quality pizzas and pasta with an international twist. Feeling fragile after long exposure to a shopping frenzy? Head for some ravishing and tasty solace, freshly prepared and laced with familiarity.

Some years ago I lunched at the first Fire & Stone, in Covent Garden, with a colleague and quickly realised that here was a restaurant that meant business. The vibrancy of the sparkling new and contemporary retail centre at Westfield is infectious and a decent meal is all part of the experience. A simple but highly efficient service ensures that bookings can be made with ease wherever you are.

Frankly all this rushing about buying things can be pretty exhausting. Give yourself a break and take a close look, for instance, at the lunch meal deal. Book in advance and choose any pizza, pasta or salad from the set menu, currently for £4.95, and  note that lunch starts at 11am, going on to 4pm. Choose from amongst such delights as the Marrakech with cumin spiced ground lamb, mozzarella, mint yoghurt sauce, green olives, raisins and sliced onion drizzle with chilli oil, or the Acapulco with slow cooked ground chilli beef, Fire & Stone's tomato sauce, jalapenos, mozzarella, sliced red onions, topped with sour cream and guacamole.

For a modest extra indulgence there's the Peking, with Chinese Hoi Sin sauce, shredded aromatic duck, mozzarella and spring onions topped with cucumber ribbons, or you can go green with barrel aged feta, sliced red and green peppers, cucumber, jumbo green olives, red onion, oregano, vine tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette. From which you will note that Fire & Stone spare neither imagination nor scope.

On the main menu consider the myriad choices drawn from five continents preceded by starters that take in a range of dips, sharing boards, calamari, crispy wonton king prawns to name but a few. Their new thin bases still have the same great flavours, homemade sauces and chutneys that top the Original base, but are bigger and crisper. Salads of each and every sort abound. A range of toppings helps in adding individuality to your pizza or you may prefer to head for the pasta choices that include their renowned spicy sausage Rigatoni.

In these difficult times the number of special offers increases and Fire & Stone have that one taped too. Amongst them are the Pizza Passport, so that each time you buy one of their unique pizzas up to six you collect a stamp, ensuring that your seventh pizza is free. The best way to keep abreast of these and other offers is to sign up for their Newsletter, or check up on their Website where offers like Friends Eat Free, 2 pizzas for £10, £10 after 10pm, and Kids Eat Free, are frequently to be found.

You want to eat; Fire & Stone want to help you do that as economically and enjoyably as possible.  It's really that simple. Buon appetito!

Roast in the hugely popular Borough Market, with its intriguing twist on classic British food, is a great example of somebody seeing a unique opportunity, grabbing it with both hands, and then making it work. The last bit of course is almost invariably the toughest call. The man who has done this is no ordinary 'somebody'. Iqbal Wahhab made an early start by moving from Bangladesh at the age of 8 months.

In 2001 he launched the award winning Cinnamon Club, the Westminster restaurant where politicians, lobbyists and curries blend successfully together. Four years later came Roast, a wonderful opportunity to be at the hub of the rejuvenated Borough Market, one of the largest fruit markets in the world. Not for nothing was Iqbal voted into the Top 10 Restaurateurs in Britain by an Independent on Sunday survey.

Located in the elegant glass and stone portico on the first floor, the restaurant looks down into the Floral Hall of the market itself and out through tall arched glass windows over the surrounding townscape. As one leading newspaper recorded, 'restaurant locations don't come much better than this'. The atmosphere is one of excitement and buzz, sentiments wonderfully evoked by Prince Charles - whose Prince's Trust has a Table at Roast to support their work in the neighbourhood - when he and the Duchess of Cornwall dropped in on the Market in November 2005.

As with most markets, whose business is by its very nature an early starter, Roast starts the day with a full-on breakfast menu. Strewn with such evocative words as smoked streaky bacon, eggs Benedict, grilled Orkney kippers, toasted cottage loaf, Scott's porridge oats, smoked Loch Etive trout and Ramsay of Carluke black pudding, The Full Borough is highly recommended, or should you be returning from the hospital where your wife has just successfully given birth, The Roast Bubbly Breakfast. Any old occasion will do.

You will already have detected a note of Britishness about Roast. This celebration of our national culinary awareness moves easily to the main menu where spring pea soup, half a dozen Loch Fyne oysters or perhaps a Market salad precede roast Goosnargh chicken breast, or Isle of Wight asparagus and Berkswell cheese tart, in competition with slow roast Wicks Manor pork belly, or roast 8oz fillet of Welsh beef with spinach and fairy ring mushrooms.

A profusion of puddings - would chocolate banoffee pudding with Devonshire clotted cream tickle the buds? - is only surpassed by the seven or so cheeses always on offer, reading rather like a roll of honour to those afflicted by this persuasive, and yes, sometimes pervasive too, form of gourmet pleasure.

Markets are places where the human frame may benefit not only from wonderful uncomplicated top class food but also some decent wine to go with it. It is no exaggeration to say that the wine list at Roast would be the envy of many a top London hotel or restaurant. Lots come by the glass and the breadth of the list is truly astounding.

If you detect more than a little enthusiasm about Roast you are of course free to check out the reality. You will be in raptures when you do. Check on their Website for seasonal changes of menu.

Housed in the elegant County Hall building, Zen China offers diners a stunning view across the River Thames taking in the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Tower Bridge. Specialising in traditional Chinese cuisine, it invites guests to sample the glories of the imperial Beijing style of cooking in a grand riverside setting and is the perfect venue to recharge your batteries after taking in the South Bank's numerous sights and attractions.

A skilfully assembled menu focuses on traditional northern Chinese cuisine with specialities including hot and spicy beef fillet and tripe slices, and marinated spinach and peanuts and north-east China mustard flavoured bean thread. For a special treat allow yourself the pleasure of tucking into the restaurant's signature dish, Beijing roast duck, also known as Peking duck, which is skilfully carved at your table and served in two courses; first with pancakes, trimmings and hoi sin sauce and then stir fried with vegetables and pickles and served on lettuce, a gastronomic experience in itself. Customers should note that only a limited number of Beijing ducks are prepared each day so it is advisable to order one beforehand.

Starters of steamed fresh scallops with garlic, crispy king prawn shredded potato wrap, salt and pepper squid, spare ribs in barbeque sauce or deep fried duck rolls are ideal to get the meal going. The bountiful seafood selection embraces such dishes as fresh lobster with ginger and spring onion, wok fried fresh crab with salted egg yolk, braised sea bass slices in spicy Beijing sauce, classic kung pao king prawns, stir fried squid with asparagus and assorted seafood with spicy XO sauce. Main course meat dishes include sizzling spicy chicken with black beans, chicken with oyster mushrooms, Beijing minced duck meat lettuce wrap, classic double cooked pork slices with leek, marinated pork belly slices with north-east Chinese sauerkraut, fillet steak slices with dried chilli and spices, quick fried lamb slices with pine nuts and lamb skewers. You could also try steamed or wok fried dumplings filled with beef and radish, pork with celery, seafood with egg and chive and chicken with green pepper and shrimp.

Accompaniments include roast duck noodle soup, fresh shrimp, egg and tomato noodle soup, fried rice with duck meat, and chicken slices with fried noodles or a classic egg fried rice and vegetable slices with fried noodles. Vegetarians are also well catered for and can look forward to tofu with mushrooms and green and red peppers, braised mushrooms with seasonal Chinese greens with garlic, or traditional street market style potato, aubergine and green peppers. To round off consider apple tart Beijing style, coconut crème brûlée or chocolate delight.

Zen China also offers an extensive range of set menus with options such as the Zen Budda vegetarian menu and the luxurious Ci-Xi seafood menu which includes Imperial seafood and crab soup, and the signature 'Five Willow' sweet and sour sea bass. To accompany the meal diners can choose from an impressive wine list featuring well-chosen red and white wines from the old and new worlds as well as number of fine champagnes including Moutard, Bollinger and Dom Perignon. Check on their Website for further information.

The Eagle is a Geronimo Inns classic gastropub with sofa, fires, room to sit at the bar, and a garden to bring a smile to the folk living in Shepherds Bush West London. The pub fits in well alongside some of the other wonderful pubs in this neck of the woods. The interior is elegant in a louche sort of way, with comfortable seating, warm lighting and a pleasant yard to be enjoyed during sunny days.

There is room to sit and enjoy with enough friends. To recreate the ambience of a country kitchen table surrounded by friends in a London pub is not the easiest of tasks, but The Eagle has done it. Many visitors return to experience the pleasant mix of urban life, parks, inns and people.

The food combined with the atmosphere and philosophy that stays true to tradition has made this place popular among locals and travellers alike. The menu includes regular pub grub as well as specials that have discerning guests coming back for more.

For lunch you can order the hot prawn cocktail with gem lettuce and tomato hollandaise or other delicacies that may include black pudding, bacon and potato hash with duck egg, slow roast pork belly, shallot and apple tart and chicken with a crisp ham and broad bean salad. End your lunch with a pudding and selection of British cheese chutney and crackers.

Dinner can be as elaborate or simple as you wish as you greet a pressed ham terrine with toast and pickles. The carte du jour lists several tasty options such as pan-fried Goosenargh duck breast with fennel puree and glazed root, grilled sirloin steak with tomato confit and chips, roast stone bass fillet, spiced south in coast cockle butter, and poached pear and blue cheese salad with chicory, walnuts and sherry dressing.

Supporting items for the larger dishes include chips and sea salt, mixed leaf salad, new potatoes, and braised red cabbage. The wine list is compiled by John Clevely, Master of Wine, and contains a good selection of both Old and New World boutique and mainstream wines including Rogers and Rufus and Fiano Mandrarossa.

To conclude a satisfying meal think in terms of the muscavado and hazelnut tart with vanilla ice cream, chocolate brownie and lemon tart.

For more information, do visit their Website, which also has details of all the other excellent pubs owned by Geronimo Inns.