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The village and civil Parish of Eldersfield in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire is home to The Butchers Arms, a cosy little two-roomed public house that is loved by locals for its relaxed and informal surroundings and good choice of food and drink.

The dining room accommodates twelve people, and offers a seasonal menu that makes use of the best local produce. You could find Roger Warner's aged rib of Hereford beef, Phillip Houldey's lamb, fresh fish, or perhaps Middle White pork from Huntsham Farm.

To start, dressed Salcombe crab could be teamed with a cucumber and potato salsa, while seared diver caught scallops are served with chorizo and local salad. Main courses of best end of lamb appear with honey roasted baby roots and Savoy cabbage, and pan-fried Gressingham duck breast with parsnip puree and poached rhubarb. A Seville orange marmalade pudding with custard makes a blissful end to a perfect meal.

The Butchers Arms offers a range of real ales that change on a regular basis.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

Their tagline proclaims 'eating, drinking and sleeping' and while it might only tell you what The Priory Inn is all about, it doesn't do justice to how well they take care of all these activities. This delightfully atmospheric inn with its fourteen beautifully furnished rooms, huge walk-around fireplace and backdrop of the Cotswolds is a wonderful place for a vacation and has a charming child-friendly restaurant which serves a wide range of dishes featuring locally sourced produce, meat and fish.

From amongst the starters, you could choose the pan fried pigeon breast with parsnip puree and pancetta followed by a main course of pork tenderloin saltimbocca with sautéed Nicola potatoes, broccoli and port cream. Wood oven pizzas and freshly baked garlic bread are enticing options while the rich and decadent desserts include an upside down spiced pear tart with vanilla ice cream. The wonderful selection of wines, real ales from local breweries and chilled bottled beer accompany the food perfectly.

Imagine a cosy 15th-century Cotswold cottage, complete with such accessories as wood panelling and oak beams, and you have The Malt House. The atmosphere is well laid back, but certainly not on the part of the staff who are completely on the mark. There is nothing fancy about the food, which is to compliment Janice Rodgers's cooking, much of it using organic material.