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hand picked restaurants

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.

If you believe simplicity is an impressive virtue, chances are the Best Western Hermitage Park will leave you very pleased. Located thirteen miles north west of Leicester, and close to places like Alton Towers and Donnington Park, the hotel offers quality accommodation and good food and drink in the town of Coalville.

The Lamp House restaurant and bar serve snacks, lunches, evening meals, and a Sunday carvery lunch all in the comfortable atmosphere of a beautiful fully glazed atrium. With a ballantine of Scottish salmon with peppered rocket and vinaigrette, or confit of belly pork with black pudding, marinated and served with apple puree your meal is off to a good start.

If it's fish you're after consider the seared sea bass that is served with mussels, vegetables, and a tomato and basil broth. The chef's own recipe Kashmiri curry with carrot chutney, basmati rice, poppadums, and lamb or chicken is another excellent main course.

The all-day bar offers hot and cold beverages, and a selection of wines, spirits and beers.

Serving food all inspired by fresh flavours from Eastern cultures, the recently refurbished Noodle Bar is a peaceful and comfortable restaurant in the heart of Whitwick and near Swannington, Coalville and Ashby de la Zouch.

Pop in for a Cantonese takeaway or relax with friends or the family and choose from a range of dishes created with passion and flair. The Noodle Bar special starter consists of sesame toast, mini pancake rolls and spare ribs of honey and lemon. The chef wisely recommends pad Thai with your choice of chicken, beef or king prawn; stir fries, marinated chicken or nasi goring with rice, Thai curries, and Japanese udon.

The takeaway menu offers lunch boxes of curry with rice, noodles, sweet and sour meat balls, and specialities such as deep fried shredded beef, roast duck with seasonal vegetables, chopsuey, and fried bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.

Although the Noodle Bar does not currently serve alcohol, guests are welcome to bring their own.

The small market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch is home to the Fallen Knight, a friendly restaurant and hotel in Kilwardby Street that promises a relaxed and enjoyable meal or stay to its guests.

The restaurant offers an elegant atmosphere in which to enjoy some of the finest cuisine available in the Midlands. The à la carte changes on a monthly basis to make the most of seasonal produce, and opens with starters of homemade carrot and coriander soup, and freshly carved smoked salmon with herb mayonnaise.

The mains are quite a feisty group of dishes with choices such as Wiener schnitzel pan-fried and served with salad garnish and lemon, oven-roasted chicken breast stuffed with cheddar, wrapped in pancetta and served with a red wine sauce, and grilled gammon steak topped with cheese and pineapple slices.

You could relax in one of twenty-four tastefully furnished bedrooms, or head to the Kilwardby Lounge to rendezvous with friends or colleagues over a morning coffee or a glass of wine. The classically decorated bar is the perfect place to enjoy an aperitif or a nightcap before retiring to bed.

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.