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Burton on Trent has a classy looking brasserie that it should be proud of, a place where you can visit with friends or family and have some well prepared modern British food, all in a most relaxed setting. It's quite easy to tick off all your objectives for dining out at 99 Station Street, as they concentrate on using only fresh, local and seasonal produce, their cooking is simply superb.

A warm welcome from the friendly front of house team sets the ball rolling and you could soon be seated in the comfortable restaurant, perusing the concise menu that is not overburdened with items, so choosing your meal becomes a pleasurable and simple activity. Lunch time rumblings can easily be assuaged by starters of homemade pâté with dill pickled cucumber, followed by fillet of salmon with soft herb crust and wild garlic oil and orange, lemon and lime cheesecake.

Evenings warrant a more elaborate service and starters such as thin slices of home oak maple smoked venison saddle with sweet and sharp hedgerow fruits and port caviar, or warm Cornish crab in Chapel Down Flint cream sauce on a toasted spring onion, cream cheese and chive pancake drizzled with herbed Staffordshire rapeseed oil are right on the mark. This could be followed by main courses along the lines of baked loin of halibut topped by a soft herb crust with poached mussels in a white wine and roasted garlic velouté finished with double cream, or roast rack of Stockley park lamb on a spring onion and Staffordshire cheese potato cake with a sharp mint puree and red wine sauce.

Those not on a calorie counting spree will enjoy a glance at their dessert menu listing delicious confections ranging from a rather unique bread and butter pudding, layered with single malt soaked raisins on creamy custard, to warm apple crumble tart with homemade cinnamon ice-cream. Chocoholics will love the blissful combination of coconut Cambridge cream topped with a chocolate crust and served with short bread biscuit whilst those who prefer savoury endings can opt for the cheese board.

99 Station Street has a few local wines, some classics as well as some New World creations including cava and champagne, which are eminently suitable for different courses of the meal. They also have private dining options and cater for special occasions with specifically prepared menus and they positively welcome add-ons such as hand made place settings and cakes to infuse that distinctive touch to your party.

They have garnered some prestigious accolades already, and judging by their popularity some more are surely bound their way. For information about menus, wine list and upcoming events, do check their Website.

The Holly Bush Inn in the village of Salt, close by the River Trent, is seriously popular and seems to thrive, as many successful restaurateurs are aware of, on giving people what they like, not what you happen to think they ought to. Leave the education process to the subsidised elements of this world.

Furthermore, if you happen to be running the reputedly second oldest pub in the country, set in attractive country near a major conurbation, you are off to a head start anyway.

A visit on any weekday towards evening might reveal the true scope of their popularity with a friendly and diplomatic staff who manage the bar as well as the restaurant with admirable efficiency.

The menu could include starters of Staffordshire oatcakes stuffed with spiced black pudding and herby tomato sauce or pan fried calves liver in garlic butter with mixed leaf salad. Main courses number at least twelve on any day and top contenders for dish of the day could easily be the homemade steak and kidney pudding with a rich onion gravy, a traditional venison casserole cooked with home cured bacon, button mushrooms and red wine or the deep fried cod with mushy peas.

Should that not tickle your fancy there is the House mixed grill, a journey down memory lane with generous helpings of gammon, pork chop, sirloin steak, liver, kidney and not least the hand-made local sausages. The steaks, again from Mr Perry of Eccleshall, are a revelation with a 20 oz T-bone on the menu. For cheeses, think in terms of Fowlers of Earlswood, the oldest cheese making family in England.

The real ales are a revelation, with about four variations monthly, and a wine list offers fair choice at prices that will not spoil your appetite. There are no frills when it comes to the supporting tackle, though you can eat in the bar, and the dining room does make some concessions in that direction.

This may not be Michelin star country, but it is a place for hearty eaters who appreciate sound cooking, as well as a celebration of what Staffordshire can produce in the way of honest local ingredients. Whilst it has an array of awards to support this, the real proof lies in the overflowing car park.

The Holly Bush Inn is very proud of the fact that they were awarded Best British Food 2003 at the prestigious Publican Pub Food Awards. Hosted by celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson the ceremony was held on the 13th November at the Queen Elizabeth Centre, Westminster where Holly Bush Landlord Geoff Holland accepted the award.

For masses of additional information, do visit their extremely comprehensive and interesting Website.

Housed within an 18th century Grade II-listed building, The Lion Hotel Brewood offers a fine dining take on traditional British dishes. The elegant interior is complete with photographic prints and cosy seating, and in warm weather guests can unwind in the tiled courtyard.

Using locally available seasonal produce, the carefully compiled Lion menu offers starters such as Staffordshire oat cakes and smoked haddock cooked in cream with local cheese. Follow with a rack of bacon served on a bed of braised red cabbage with sage sauce, or local Staffordshire sausages with wholegrain mustard mash and a red currant jus.

Enjoy a refined selection of drinks at the bar, or relax with a rich cup of coffee in the Coffee Lounge. The large function room at The Lion restaurant is perfect for business conferences or private events.

Set in the picturesque Staffordshire countryside, The Lion Brewood offers a clean, crisp setting for enjoying stunning local cuisine.

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

Swinfen Hall Hotel is a beautiful 18th-century manor House, lying two miles south of the cathedral city of Lichfield. Set in 100 acres of rolling countryside with beautiful gardens and private deer park, this independent hotel, the first with four AA red stars in Staffordshire, has been lovingly restored to offer contemporary facilities within a relaxed country house environment.

With two AA rosettes, their restaurant and private dining room enjoy an excellent reputation for fine food and wine; and they are a well known venue for wedding receptions and civil wedding ceremonies. Most importantly, they have a dedicated staff team committed to providing excellent service and a warm and friendly welcome.

Swinfen Hall has now been operating for over twenty years and the standards that apply are a reflection of the experience gained, as well as appreciation shown. There are eighteen bedrooms and suites all of which vary greatly in size, shape and aspect, but each has been individually furnished to offer style and comfort. The Bridal Suite is a tour de force with silk wall hangings and a canopied king size bed. The en suite bathroom has twin basins set in marble, a large Jacuzzi bath and separate shower cubicle.

All bedrooms and suites are individually furnished, all offer 100% goose down duvets, Egyptian cotton sheets, bathrobes, hospitality tray, satellite television, DVD player and free Wi-Fi access.

The kitchens at Swinfen Hall serve only the finest of fresh produce, and whenever possible local sources are used including Staffordshire-grown strawberries, raspberries and asparagus, cheeses and in winter, local game. They now have organic home-reared venison - from their own deer park - on the menu and a number of vegetables and soft fruits are grown in the Victorian walled garden. Their well-established kitchen brigade, led by Head Chef Adam Thomson, works hard to find specialist suppliers who are committed to quality not quantity.

Their menus are both exciting and inventive; dishes on their dinner carte could include such tempting choices as salad of roasted quail with Clonakilty black pudding, haricots vert and pancetta crisp; seared diver-caught scallops with cauliflower purée, caper and raisin jam and tempura of cauliflower, or velouté of home-grown butternut squash.

Mains follow in much the same vein with slow roast belly of organic pork; breast of Gressingham duck with wild mushroom fricassee, orange and raisin jus and celeriac purée, or fillet and blade of Aberdeen Angus beef with shallot purée, buttered green beans and fondant potato. Fillet of halibut is served with braised oxtail, buttered Savoy cabbage, pomme purée and red wine jus.

Their cheese selection contains names that gladden the hearts of those disposed to such indulgence and includes some distinguished English entrants.

The food is complemented by an extensive wine list where they aim to offer quality, diversity and value. They buy directly from vineyards, through specialist merchants and at auction, creating a degree of individuality to their list that greatly exceeds many other similar places. Their wine list is constantly changing as they discover interesting new wines.

The private dining room is the original dining room of the Hall and is available for luncheon and dinner parties for 12 to 20 guests. This beautiful room provides a lovely setting for birthday and anniversary celebrations, retirement parties or any special occasion. There is no room hire charge for tables of 12 or more and menus, wines, flowers, and cake can be arranged to suit.

Easily accessible by good roads and by air, they are centrally located for business meetings and conferences being only 20 minutes from the heart of Birmingham, the NEC and Birmingham International Airport. More information, including accommodation and private dining, is available on their Website.

Here is a real treasure in the heart of the countryside. Originally in the middle of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter the original Restaurant Gilmore closed down to pave the way for a countryside version, always the dream of Paul and Dee Gilmore. Now it is an established and much prized destination for those who value the sort of food that goes with a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide, two AA Rosettes and an entry in the Good food Guide.

The setting is superb, with some 7 acres of land round the farmhouse, beautiful gardens that produce much of the produce used in the kitchen, both vegetable and animal. The emphasis needless to say is on freshness and genuinely interesting food.

Three menus are on offer, lunch on Thursday and Friday, evening menu from Wednesday to Saturday and a Sunday lunch served at 1pm for 1.30. The dinner menu offers a three course event and could start with warm smoked salmon with scrambled egg and watercress sauce, or roasted parsnip soup with curried chick peas.

Frequently seen main courses could consist of seared loin of blue fin tuna, roasted cherry tomato and pesto dressing, new potatoes, and green beans, and the house favourite of poached blade of Staffordshire beef, field mushrooms, rosti potatoes and port jus. More local fare might be a roasted loin of venison with sweet and sour pears and chestnuts. To my way of thinking there are few better dishes offered than the pan fried Aberdeen Angus rib eye with a shallot and pancetta stew.

The restaurant's own angle on bread and butter pudding with a rich vanilla sauce Anglaise could be competing with Valrhona Manjari chocolate and sweet chilli brûlée, brandied cherries and chocolate cream sauce. One of the great delights of going to this restaurant is to know that the constantly varying menu is unlikely to ever offer a dish that will be anything but appealing.

A well travelled wine list of character provides something for everyone, both in style and cost. Their New World wines in particular display a single minded aptitude for finding real, and sometimes hitherto little known, treats. In all ways this is a restaurant for those who prefer integrity in their approach to eating out, and the word 'gourmet' springs very much to mind.

Keep abreast of their menu changes and other flexible feasts by clicking on their simple to use and attractive Website.

This place comes as something of a surprise to anyone who remembers the old Little Chef on the A5 near to the turn to Wheaton Aston, next to the Bradford Arms, since it's been completely transformed and turned into a very stylish Indian restaurant, with a quality of cuisine to match the décor.

No garish flock wallpaper here, instead a cool interior of muted colours that provides an ideal background to enjoy an excellent evening out.

The menu is also far more enterprising than at your normal Indian establishment; instead of a bewilderingly huge tome of many variations on a similar theme, here you are offered thoroughly individual dishes, showing off the real diversity that exists in the Indian sub-continent.

There's a range of appetisers, interesting options such as maachli chaat, succulent mackerel cooked in garlic, tomato and capsicum or bhelpuri channa with chick peas, tomatoes, aubergines and garam masala. The usual suspects make their presence felt with prawn puree, king prawns cooked with tomato puree, onions and green herbs served with puffy, light bread and sheek kabab, rolled and spiced minced lamb cooked in the tandoor.

The main courses run from the chicken curry from Goa, marinated meat cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, chilli, cream coconut, coriander and hot curry paste through to Chittagong style king prawns, half cut shelled prawns with ginger, garlic, grated onion, lime juice and coriander; maybe you should try the lamb saqi, a creamy dish of barbecued meat simmered in coconut milk, ground ginger and mint or North Indian chilli garlic chicken, cooked in hot chilli garlic sauce garnished with coriander.

More standard choices include a range of tandoori dishes, biryanis, baltis and even the ubiquitous chicken tikka masala, apparently Britain's most popular dish these days, as well as the traditional curries, like korma, bhoona, madras and dansak.

Side dishes are impressive as well, with an excellent tarka dall, a vegetarian delight of assorted lentils cooked with garlic, or aloo gobi, cauliflower and potato with light spices, and begon bhajee, aubergine with tomato and onion.

Their excellent Website provides you with details of Cafe India's full menu, the takeaway service - with a 10% discount - and their special banquets for parties of ten or more. They can also provide an outside catering service for weddings or special occasions.

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.

Part of the Whitbread family, Table Table restaurants aim to bring great value tasty pub food to an ever increasing eating-out public who like well prepared and genuine food served by friendly staff in relaxing surroundings. If that sounds too much like a dream come true be assured that at Table Table they also walk the talk, and are pleased to have the chance to prove it.

Their well located restaurants are spread across a wide range of decors and styles, and all of them share a determination to provide comfort, warmth and relaxation. Their buffet menus for special occasions are remarkable value.

In keeping with modern trends they provide dishes to nibble or share as guests consider the spread of options on a menu that could be described as British with welcome incursions. So as you share long Italian flatbread, and dough balls and dips, or a sharing platter with an imaginative range of finger food starting with garlic and breaded mushrooms, it's time to think about the relative merits of aromatic duck parcels, a prawn cocktail, breaded Camembert or sticky chicken goujons to name but a few.

Many an innocent dish from the past has been hi-jacked in the best possible sense into becoming what is now called a 'pub classic'. Wiltshire cured ham with eggs is served with chunky chips and beef, mushroom and ale pie, or chicken and chips are all familiar with British tables, be they in the dining room or the kitchen. Now they have been added to by chicken fajitas, a sweet red pepper, crème fraiche and fennel tart, a leg of duck slowly cooked and served with a Bramley apple and cider sauce, or chilli con carne with basmati rice, sour cream and guacamole and nachos. So is the humble burger with six enticing toppings.

The point is they, and others, are all here at Table Table, well prepared with quality ingredients, and presented in a way that makes you hungry even if you thought you weren't.

Getting down to the more serious side of the table keep an eye open for the seafood pie, a delightful assembly of things fishy including crayfish, red snapper, prawns and clams. Many of their steaks are 28 days matured, including a 7oz fillet. All steaks are served with watercress, roasted cherry tomatoes, a flat mushroom and chunky chips. A choice from 4 sauces adds the final touch of enjoyment.

Pastas and salads embrace some well known and loved names, but for sheer enjoyment the hot smoked salmon salad takes some beating - flakes of hot smoked salmon mixed with a house salad and soy and ginger sauce. A real winner.

Snacks aplenty cover hot baguettes with the like of grilled pork loin and Bramley apple sauce, sandwiches filled with Cheddar cheese, or prawns and Marie Rose sauce, and jacket potatoes with such temptations as chilli con carne. Add a bowl of chips for only a little extra.

A well travelled wine list offers helpful advice for the uninitiated and there's an impressive choice of draught and bottled beers and lagers. All in all it would appear that Table Table are more than achieving their aims, providing the opportunity for people to eat out enjoyably, with excellent value for money. Long may they continue to do so.

For completely up to date information on menu changes and special offers do make a regular check on their lively Website.

Part of the Whitbread family, Table Table restaurants aim to bring great value tasty pub food to an ever increasing eating-out public who like well prepared and genuine food served by friendly staff in relaxing surroundings. If that sounds too much like a dream come true be assured that at Table Table they also walk the talk, and are pleased to have the chance to prove it.

Their well located restaurants are spread across a wide range of decors and styles, and all of them share a determination to provide comfort, warmth and relaxation. Their buffet menus for special occasions are remarkable value.

In keeping with modern trends they provide dishes to nibble or share as guests consider the spread of options on a menu that could be described as British with welcome incursions. So as you share long Italian flatbread, and dough balls and dips, or a sharing platter with an imaginative range of finger food starting with garlic and breaded mushrooms, it's time to think about the relative merits of aromatic duck parcels, a prawn cocktail, breaded Camembert or sticky chicken goujons to name but a few.

Many an innocent dish from the past has been hi-jacked in the best possible sense into becoming what is now called a 'pub classic'. Wiltshire cured ham with eggs is served with chunky chips and beef, mushroom and ale pie, or chicken and chips are all familiar with British tables, be they in the dining room or the kitchen. Now they have been added to by chicken fajitas, a sweet red pepper, crème fraiche and fennel tart, a leg of duck slowly cooked and served with a Bramley apple and cider sauce, or chilli con carne with basmati rice, sour cream and guacamole and nachos. So is the humble burger with six enticing toppings.

The point is they, and others, are all here at Table Table, well prepared with quality ingredients, and presented in a way that makes you hungry even if you thought you weren't.

Getting down to the more serious side of the table keep an eye open for the seafood pie, a delightful assembly of things fishy including crayfish, red snapper, prawns and clams. Many of their steaks are 28 days matured, including a 7oz fillet. All steaks are served with watercress, roasted cherry tomatoes, a flat mushroom and chunky chips. A choice from 4 sauces adds the final touch of enjoyment.

Pastas and salads embrace some well known and loved names, but for sheer enjoyment the hot smoked salmon salad takes some beating - flakes of hot smoked salmon mixed with a house salad and soy and ginger sauce. A real winner.

Snacks aplenty cover hot baguettes with the like of grilled pork loin and Bramley apple sauce, sandwiches filled with Cheddar cheese, or prawns and Marie Rose sauce, and jacket potatoes with such temptations as chilli con carne. Add a bowl of chips for only a little extra.

A well travelled wine list offers helpful advice for the uninitiated and there's an impressive choice of draught and bottled beers and lagers. All in all it would appear that Table Table are more than achieving their aims, providing the opportunity for people to eat out enjoyably, with excellent value for money. Long may they continue to do so.

For completely up to date information on menu changes and special offers do make a regular check on their lively Website.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.