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In the great pub evolution there have, as always, been winners and losers. The weak have gone to the wall, the strong have survived, and the newcomers have led the renaissance. The emergence of modest groupings of revitalised pubs has brought some real stars, of which The Swan Inn is undoubtedly one, a verdict supported by the award of Bucks Dining Pub of the Year in The Good Pub Guide 2008, also shortlisted in the Morning Advertiser's Top 20 Pubs '08 in the country. Winning the prestigious Les Routiers Gastro Pub of the Year in 2011 is another feather in the cap.

The advantages of the Georgian double-fronted wisteria-covered building have been skilfully combined with new ideas, modern management with heart, and an adherence to being British that borders on patriotism. Character and atmosphere is there in abundance. In winter a large log fire is the centrepiece of a warmth that has both physical and human form aplenty. Every so often one comes across a pub whose regulars and visitors pay no heed to matters of status but get on with enjoying each others company, and the Swan is strongly of that ilk.

The fact that all this is to be found only a few miles from the London suburbs and two motorways should be a cause of delight to people for whom life is too short to bother about such trivialities as status. Equally as encouraging is the quality of the menu fielded by Head Chef Mark Snelling, with an emphasis on simple, stylish dishes that lack any fussiness and palaver. Start your meal with the aid of an eclectic range of choices that open with rustic breads with slow roast garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or sautéed duck livers and hearts with crispy bacon, dandelion leaves and gooseberries. For bubble and squeak enthusiasts the Swan version has oak smoked bacon, free range poached egg and Hollandaise sauce astride it.

On, then, to the main event, some nine in number and changing when the season allows, with more than an eye lifted for the classic braised lemon and thyme ‘Label Anglais’ free range chicken with sweet potato fondant and broad bean broth, or the char-grilled 21-day aged British rib-eye steak with roast garlic butter and hand-cut chips. Side orders are like a refreshing gale blowing through the halls of lassitude which we exhibit in this country towards the proper presentation of vegetables. Baked cauliflower cheese with brioche crumb, sweet corn and spring onion fritters with chilli jam, or lemon buttered samphire - it doesn't come much better.

Meanwhile back in the sous chef department what stirs? Enough to rapidly dissolve any thoughts of being up to the brim, starting with rhubarb, ginger and polenta crumble with vanilla custard, vanilla crème brûlée with strawberry compôte, or chocolate pana cotta with violet ice cream. Of such treats are the dreams of Brits stuck in some desert hell-hole made.

To be able to finish on a high note is always a pleasure, though in truth writing about The Swan Inn has at no time been anything but a pleasure. This concerns that sometimes neglected department known as the wine list where the best efforts of good chefs are occasionally scuppered. Here there is a list which considering its relative brevity - sometimes seen as an advantage by wives and less than well informed husbands - produces a selection of great breadth, incredible pricing with few bottles straying above the £30 mark, and good credible choices under £20, with plenty of by-the-glass numbers, and a collection of pudding wines that will gladden the hearts of those so inclined.

So really there is absolutely no excuse for not making an early visit to this charming pub with restaurant, where all needs are met and where Robbie Burns himself would have been at ease. Consult their Website for all the latest on-goings, including menu changes that stalk the seasons.

Housed in a charming Tudor-style building, next to The Chimes Shopping Centre and opposite the Odeon Cinema, Zizzi Uxbridge offers shoppers and cinema goers fresh, seasonal Italian cuisine. The historically inspired setting is defined by an oak-beamed ceiling and 33 different types of chairs. A large courtyard is perfect for al fresco dining on a warm summer's day.
 
The bustling open kitchen at Zizzi turns out freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers distinct sections of antipasti, salads, pizza and calzone, pasta, risottos and mains of seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.
 
Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat?s cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.
 
Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu; creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

Here's a simple but lively family run restaurant, located in the heart of Uxbridge, serving delicious and innovative Italian cuisine. For 35 years, Nonna Rosa has been providing its loyal patrons with freshly cooked fare and exciting wines from their home village in Northern Italy. The recently improved interiors add a level of comfort to the old world charm in their decor and guests can now relax with even more ease as they spend an evening with friends or family.

Their à la carte menu is extensive featuring a wide variety of options and could typically begin with fresh grilled sardines or mussels provenzale with tomato and garlic. There are numerous options for pizzas and pastas and choosing one amongst such a tantalising list of many can prove to be a difficult task. However, if you are fond of fish, then the grilled trout in garlic butter or mushroom and cream can be a suitable choice. Homemade desserts are enticing and the range of wines is excellent.

Salud's spacious interior may pay true homage to everything Mediterranean with deep yellows, blues and plenty of plants, but rather than being typecast as a Spanish restaurant, it prefers to be called a tapas bar. Now that should at least satiate those gnawing tapas cravings but delve into their menu and there is more to discover.

Familiar starters feature in the specials, which cover all bases from escargots and crab claws to pâté maison and deep fried camembert, while scallops or lobster thermidor, lamb shank, roast duck with orange or cherry sauce and calves' liver and bacon make for some fine main courses. Salud values the great Sunday lunch ritual and have designed a menu for the occasion with fried whitebait, grilled sardines, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and perhaps finish with something from the sweet trolley.

Scotch smoked salmon, chicken croquettes and Spanish cured ham; yes they do hit the tapas button, and Salud is the place to go.

This pub in Denham Village, formerly known as The Plough, was taken over by Dave and Deb Bateman, recently refurbished, and rechristened the Fat Cow. The stylish place is becoming a 'new local' and customers can be seen relaxing over a good selection of cask ales, chilled lagers, wine and food.

Thanks to the varied cultural backgrounds of the owners the Fat Cow lunch and dinner menus contain a selection of interesting Thai, Australian and British dishes. Choices such as pasta carbonara, chicken breast supreme on roasted garlic mash, veal schnitzel and beef burgers are served in the bar, while starters of Thai fishcakes, steamed mussels in a tomato and garlic broth, and a crispy duck and watercress salad, and mains of char-grilled pork leg steaks, a mixed grill of rib eye, pork sausages and bacon, and a Thai red curry appear make frequent appearances in the restaurant.

A lovely dessert of pavlova filled with banana and whipped cream with toffee sauce just cannot be ignored.