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A watering hole, well known amongst ramblers who often set out to explore the countryside of West Midlands, The Cock Inn at Wishaw, has an interior all set for a fine dining experience. Such features as an open kitchen, stone fired ovens and log burning fires all combine to make this a friendly local that draws people in from a wide area. The landscaped decking outside provides a good spot for dining al fresco, or just enjoying a few pints as the velvet night soothes the mood.

The proximity of the internationally renowned Belfry Golf Course means that the odd celebrity may be spotted, and walkers enjoying the magnificent countryside between the pub and the golf course find welcome refreshment at the pub.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, box baked Camembert with red onion jam and rustic bread and Greek mezze of taramasalata with red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters, there is freshly made soup, smoked mackerel pâté, seared pigeon breast, or a red onion tart. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer Persian chicken kebabs, fattoush salad, yoghurt and mint dressing, and for the seafood fiends some smoked trout, prawn, pancetta, horseradish dressing, watercress, spinach and baby potatoes.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic Margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, another with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños. Pastas include rigatoni, pork, veal and oregano meatballs with arrabiata sauce, and smoked haddock risotto.

For the big event, there is always a fish of the day on request. The spit chicken with roast garlic, lemon, thyme, aioli and frites is worth trying too. The classic burger, which has risen from the confines of fast food chains, carves a niche for itself on the menu and comes with onion, gherkin, mustard mayo, cheese and bacon. For hearty eaters there is a five spice duck confit, or lamb rack with a spiced dukkah crust.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes Belgian frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

A sensible wine list that matches the cuisine to perfection trawls the world and comes up with some pretty interesting numbers - almost as interesting as the laconic descriptions, mostly one word but very accurate, even if 'luxurious and rich' does sound rather like a generous heiress of infinite promise. One of the most expensive bottles - and even then it's only £39.95 - earns the appellation 'silky, smooth and intense'.

Check regularly on their Website for menu changes and arrangements for special occasions like Christmas and Valentine's Day. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

True to its name, The Green House on Lichfield Road offers guests airy, spacious and well-lit interiors with an outside seating area for al fresco dining in the summer. In the heart of the affluent suburb of Sutton Coldfield, the Green House is a short drive from Birmingham city centre, and with easy access to the M6 is just a 20 minute drive from Tamworth and Lichfield.

With an appetizing mix of refreshing Mediterranean dishes and British classics on the menu, the Green House is a country pub with a difference. It has been transformed into a premium dining space with a chic setting; banquettes you can sink into, comfortable bar stools and faux fur covered benches as well as a chandelier or two to add an elegant touch. Friendly efficient service and distinctive touches elevate the experience to another level altogether.
 
The seasonally changing à la carte uses the finest market fresh ingredients and delivers a range of sharing platters and starters such as winter bruschetta of asparagus, gorgonzola, prosciutto, balsamic on stirata Romana bread and red onion and gorgonzola tart with roasted apple and mustard seed dressing to whet the appetite.
 
Diners also have the choice of a lighter option with salad of grilled goat's cheese crostini, roasted sweet potatoes, borlotti beans and blush tomato dressing or a classic seared tuna Niçoise served with green beans, olives and baby potatoes. A stone baked pizza with toppings of crispy duck, spring onions, watercress, hoisin and plum sauce is more international in flavour.
 
While the excellent à la carte can deliver the goods anytime a two-course prix fixe menu is available for a quick lunch with compromising the quality. Look out for Steak and Wine Supper Wednesdays with superb steaks and a whopping 50% discount on a bottle of red wine or the equally tempting Fabulous Fish Fridays which offer a range of superb fish and shellfish specials and a bottle of white wine for half the price.
 
The Rothschild Supper Club menu is perfect for that special occasion with a gourmet two-course menu and a bottle of the prestigious Rothschild champagne, personally selected by a team of wine experts. Starters of pan fried English kidneys on stirata Romana with wholegrain mustard sauce could be followed by a delicious dish of slow roast pork lasagna with roast peppers and roast garlic.
 
To finish on a sweet note, consider orange and almond cake with marmalade and orange blossom mascarpone; bourbon and raisin pudding with vanilla ice cream; banana cheesecake with toffee sauce and chocolate ice cream or limoncello posset with langues de chat biscuits.
 
The drinks list includes classic cocktails such as Cosmopolitan and Pina Colada and other palate pleasers such as Martini Blush with strawberries and apples; and Flirtini with vodka and champagne. Guests can also choose from a range of unique cask ales and bottled beers, non-alcoholic drinks and a carefully selected wine list available by the glass and bottle.

Have you been to The Cock Inn on Bull's Lane? It's a sister pub to The Green House. You could also consider The Crown in Wolverhampton, if you're close by.

More information can be found on their Website.

The Encore in Stratford-upon-Avon is a splendid coming together of the conventional and the contemporary, an eclectic fusion of styles which has marvellous visual appeal and creates a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Bright zebra prints grace some of the chairs, while deep brown leather on others shows how the old and the new can exist in harmony, while stone fired ovens and log burning fires alongside the open kitchen and floor plan produce the same results.

Located in an 18th century building, The Encore is also quite close to the world famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The pub downstairs has a friendly ambience and offers a good selection of excellent beers and real ales, while the restaurant upstairs provides an unusual mix of traditional British food with continental touches. Following a refurbishment, they have emerged as an excellent dining destination in the town, while their attention to detail and friendly service ensures a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The simple but up-to-the-minute menu offers lots of comfort appeal, with homely choices like pizzas, steaks and pasta, with some more global dishes to keep things lively. To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, box baked Camembert with onion jam and bread, Greek mezze with taramasalata, red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads, or a pizzette with garlic, rocket, sun-blushed tomatoes and Parmesan.

Amongst the starters, there is always freshly made soup of the day, sake cured salmon, pickled ginger and wasabi crème fraîche, and fennel with chilli crusted squid, pineapple and coriander salsa are also to be found.

The salads offer pang pang chicken, Asian greens, satay, cashew nuts and cucumber, while pastas range from linguini with chorizo, king prawns, crab, chilli and tomato to tagliatelle bolognaise with slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; look for a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, or a Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella. Those who love rotisserie fare will enjoy the different variations of chicken, with roast garlic, lemon and thyme and aioli. Persian spiced lamb chops are an interesting addition to this list and are served with tzatziki, tomato and red onion salad.

Proper main courses could include sea bass fillets, stuffed Romano pepper, caponata, pesto and baby new potatoes; Scottish salmon with Asian greens, chilli salsa and tempura sweet potato fritters; calves liver with sweet potato and beetroot gratin and watercress, or lemon sole with prawn and scallop butter. A wide range of supporting dishes includes tomato, rocket and mozzarella, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

To complement the food, there is a well chosen wine list that traverses across the old and New Worlds to bring fine wines and champagnes.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

Queans was taken over in 2005 by Laura Hamilton, who was formerly a chef-manager in Warwick, she offers a selection of dishes that are both inventive and tempting to a pleasing degree, and as a result she is now enjoying well-deserved popularity in Leamington Spa. Laura has been a chef locally for the best part of 20 years during much of which she was Head Chef at The Grand Union Restaurant, before her three years at Robbie's in Warwick.

As might be expected her menus are pleasantly challenging with starters such as crab and spring onion fishcake served with a lemon and lime dressing; artichoke and asparagus tart with a toasted almond salad, or broccoli and smoked brie soup.

Main courses move along with the likes of pan-fried wild duck breast served on a bed of wilted spinach and baked Portobello mushroom, served with a whiskey and ginger gravy; medallion of pork served on a bed of chive and lemon rice, finished with a yellow pepper cream, or supreme of chicken stuffed with a basil and mascarpone mousse, poached in a creamy garlic sauce.

For those of a seaward inclination there may be grilled whole black bream glazed with orange and sweet mustard and finished with a watercress dressing. Vegetarians will surely rejoice in the delicious tarragon pastry basket filled with a layer of chickpea mousse, braised courgette and leeks, topped with roasted beetroot.

Laura's homemade ice creams are legendary and arrive at the table with fresh baked cookies. Wildly popular is the peach and raspberry suet pudding served with custard, cream, or ice cream, and sometimes, we are told, all three. The rich chocolate and orange cheesecake is a clever blend of flavours, but for many the simple sharp tang of a fresh fruit cocktail, well laced with cointreau has familiar appeal. To play safe go for the banoffee pie, an international favourite that never fails to please.

From all of which it will be obvious that Laura is certainly no slouch in the kitchen and explains why those with an eye for food that has been prepared with care and imagination are beating a path to her door.

The wine list is equally full of character with some nice Burgundy and really daring reds from South Africa, Chile, Spain and Italy. Two dessert wines are listed, including an intriguing rich Black Muscat from California.

As one might expect the general layout and presentation is cool and elegant, in keeping with the service. This is a restaurant that would hold its own well in London, and in Leamington Spa it is indeed a gift sent from on high. They were the proud winners at the Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards 2006 for Best Restaurant and Excellence in Quality and Customer Service.

If you want to know more about this superb restaurant, then their Website should prove to be a mine of information.

There could be few better locations for Côte Brasserie in Birmingham than on the canal side in The Mailbox, at the centre of Birmingham's city renaissance where commerce and culture blend with grace and the addition of a frisson of French cuisine sits well. Open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Côte brings an informal and friendly ambience to matters of eating and drinking, and it came as no surprise when it won the Good Food Guide award for 'Best Value Restaurant in the UK for 2009'.

Since then trends towards simple bistro cooking have gathered pace and Côte has become even more relevant to the times. When you work in a modern city life never seems to stop and the matter of breakfast assumes an identity more in keeping with its original intention. So the menu here explores a good range of the more exciting aspects of breakfast, starting with a touching alliance of the full English breakfast that we know so well, or the French crêpe complète where a warm crêpe enfolds two free range eggs, bacon and shaved Gruyère cheese. And the free WiFi is there if there's some urgent cage-rattling to be done before you hit the office.

With the day well started thoughts can turn to matters of lunch, dinner even, or a little light supper before an evening's entertainment at the theatre or something rather more rigorous at one of Birmingham's many clubs. There may just be a decision in principle, leaving the selection from Côte's generous menu until the event when, over a glass of Kir Royale one can indulge in some reblochon cheese and thyme, or anchovies and olives with parsley.

But before this some midday sustenance may be in order and their plats rapides offer minimal dallying linked with maximum recharging of the batteries. Steak frites, poulet grillé or moules frites all make for robust enjoyment at great value. If the weather's behaving well, a seat outside on the terrace against the background of a living wall has strong appeal.

Perhaps there is more time for lunch thanks to that early start, or a client to impress in which case a choice from amongst a dozen or so starters could yield Scottish smoked salmon with dill and shallots, a tasty prawn gratinée, or a plate of one of those wonderful soups the French produce so well. Light main courses offer a risotto vert that embraces grilled asparagus, broad beans, spring onions, courgette, green beans, baby spinach, pesto and rocket, or a classic tuna Niçoise served medium rare.

Moving on through a dazzling array of dishes that both tempt and restore guests will encounter steak haché, with a fried egg of course, roast duck breast or a seafood linguine, at which point it will have dawned that Côte are strong on the fruits of the sea. However, no self respecting Gallic inspired menu would be without its poulet Breton, a corn fed chicken from rural Brittany where that particular dish is akin to the holy grail.

And so to the steaks, wonderfully plump and juicy ones from Church Farm in the Peak District, that have been aged on the bone and are served chargrilled with frites and a choice of superb sauces that includes Normandy butter with Roquefort cheese.

A confident completely French wine list carries bins to remember, where the house wines are worthy and the ongoing list steadily more exciting as you progress. The Chateau Talbot St Julien is a fitting prize for those who might have a hard or successful day - or both.

Côte offers an excellent weekday lunch deal of two or three courses at prices that are hard to believe for a restaurant of this quality.

Côte Brasserie is one of those places where after a while you begin to wonder why you ever ate anywhere else. Even the notoriously difficult Michael Winner gave Côte a glowing review in The Sunday Times. For further information click on their no-nonsense Website which will keep you up to speed.

Behind the traditional façade of The Crown lies a surprisingly modern interior with people coming in to enjoy the pub's peaceful atmosphere and tasty cooking. The dining area is smartly attired with comfy sofas, artistic lampshades and spot lighting, and there's al fresco seating for those who'd like a breath of fresh air.

The Crown has a real buzz on any day of the week, providing tourists and locals with a friendly welcome and satisfying food. Relaxed in appeal and modern in style, you'll find a convivial place for any occasion, from a celebratory dinner and breakfast with clients, to lunch with the family or friends.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates; garlic pizzette with sun-blushed tomatoes, rocket and parmesan, a box baked Camembert with red onion jam and bread, or Greek mezze with taramasalata, red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters is freshly made soup, devilled mushrooms with chilli and mint on rustic toast, and Japanese fish cakes, pickled ginger, yuzu and spring onion dipping sauce with radish slaw. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots and plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends some pastrami cured smoked salmon, Caesar, cos, parmesan, anchovies and croutons is received with enthusiasm.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find margherita, a classic medley of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella or rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats? cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket.

Pastas include bucatini carbonara with smoked haddock, pancetta and cream, or tagliatelle bolognaise with slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti. For the big event there is Venetian calves? liver with onions, wilted spinach, parsley mash and balsamic jus. The classic burger, which has risen from the confines of fast food chains, carves a niche for itself on the menu and comes with gherkin, mustard mayo, cheese, relish and frites. For hearty eaters there are rib-eye and fillet steaks, and lemon sole with prawn and watercress butter and baby potatoes.

A wide range of supporting dishes include creamed potatoes, Belgian frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

Their wine list contains well-known favourites, alongside little numbers from around the world.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Do note that the e-mail address is for enquiries only, not for making bookings.

Hidden away with the idyllic peace of the banks of the River Severn at Over, the one AA red rosette Wharf House nestles between that and its restored Canal Basin, offering visitors a blend of countryside relaxation with modern, but local, food and drink. The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust designed and built The Wharf House in order to provide a steady stream of funds to restore, maintain and promote the canal which, when completed, will once again wind itself from the River Severn at Over to Hereford.

The Wharf House has six luxury bedrooms, all with their own style and character but with the shared benefit of panoramic views of the River Severn and Canal Basin. With a range going from standard double rooms to two luxury large double rooms with connecting central lounge that can be hired to make a suite for 6 persons, The Wharf House has something for everyone. All rooms are fitted with wide-screen TV, full data link-up, video conferencing, film on demand, DVD and music systems and en-suite facilities.

The restaurant and tea rooms offer a delicious array of dishes to tempt the senses and tear your eyes from the idyllic views surrounding this fantastic location. The lunch and evening menus surprise the diner with such delectable foods as tiger prawns dressed with pineapple, coriander and chilli dressing, or crab and mango salsa with rocket and red chard salad to start, or carpaccio of beef with grated parmesan, fiery horseradish, celery and rocket, or rack of Herefordshire lamb with leek and potato dauphinois, honey and rosemary sauce.

Desserts come in the tempting form of a traditional crème brûlée; orange and brandy cheesecake, or - a customer favourite - a dark chocolate cup infused with orange served with a white chocolate cup permeated with lime and raspberry topped with ginger cream - naughty.

The constantly changing menu can be tasted daily, with lunch served from 12 - 3pm, and evening meals starting from 5pm. Throughout the day one can have a preview of what's on offer with coffee and cake from 10am as well as Modern British dishes with homemade Wharf House favourites.

There are few places in and around Gloucester where such a fine blend of setting and dining can be merged so successfully, but The Wharf House truly achieves this goal, making it a fine destination for a relaxed meal with family, a celebration, or even a wedding reception with a difference; and now a delightful place to say also. Find out more by visiting their Website.

The leafy glades of Edgbaston have long been crying out for a place like The White Swan. A prosperous area full of people who know what they like and have a keen eye for value, The Swan offers exactly what they appreciate. The fact that it is part of a modest group that has already earned an excellent track record also bolsters confidence for the future.

The Swan's interior, has been transformed and contemporary design has worked its magic, with a generous dose of natural materials that provides a restful and friendly backdrop. Whilst clearly the restaurant rules, there is no lack of space and setting for those who want to do what pubs used to do - exclusively - and have a drink or two.

The restaurant itself is full of light wood, with a level of elegance that compliments but does not overpower or distract. A menu based on the experience gained though the other houses within the group offers simplicity and draws heavily on the welcome - to most people if they were honest - concept of comfort food.

The White Swan is a place for jolly groups, maybe out to relax after a day working in the same environment, so what better to set the right note of fashionable sociability than sharing plates, antipasti of cured meats, dolcelatte, roasted vegetables, parmesan, rocket, stuffed peppers, green chillies and baked flat bread, or Greek mezze of taramasalata with red pepper humus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters, expect to find freshly made soup, sake cured salmon with wasabi crème fraîche and pickled ginger, or fennel with chilli crusted squid, pineapple and coriander salsa. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer pang pang chicken, Asian greens, satay, cashew nuts and cucumber, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn, avocado, spinach, watercress, crispy bacon and garlic dressing receive a rapturous welcome.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, another with roasted vegetables, goats' cheese, tomatoes and rocket or the delicious Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella.

The grill and rotisserie dishes for hearty eaters are well worth trying and choices include spit chicken with cacciatora sauce and frites, and rib-eye steak with rocket, fresh horseradish sauce and crispy onions. For the big event there is calves' liver with sweet potato, beetroot gratin and watercress. Persian spiced lamb chops with tzatziki, tomato and red onion salad is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Scottish salmon with Asian greens, chilli salsa and tempura sweet potato fritters as well veal paillard add further dimensions to a wide choice range.

Well presented supporting dishes include tomato, rocket and mozzarella, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

A good range of draught and bottled beers that embraces the continent, and a wine list that well complements the products from the brigade of chefs, combined with cheerful service all add up to make The White Swan a thoroughly good place to recommend to your friends - but not before you have confirmed that for yourself.

Their excellent Website will keep you up to date with menu changes and events. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

It is a wonderful surprise to find a pub that has firmly grasped the gastro nettle in and around the Midlands, with pretty sensational results that include demonstrably freshly cooked food and a high zing factor. The Lyttelton Arms has all the inherent charm of a traditional country pub that has come face to face with its history, adapted, and lost none of its appeal in the process. In close relation to the Clent Hills it takes its name from the Lyttelton family whose home at Hagley Hall is close by.

The pub is truly a place for all seasons, and the menu reflects this as it embraces not only the seasons but also the atmosphere within, ranging from cool chic in summer to the cosy warmth of a winter's day with the hatches well battened down.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, garlic pizzette with sun-blushed tomatoes, rocket and parmesan, a box baked Camembert with red onion jam and bread, and Greek mezze with taramasalata, red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters is freshly made soup, devilled mushrooms with chilli and mint on rustic toast, and Japanese fish cakes, pickled ginger, yuzu and spring onion dipping sauce with radish slaw. Look, too, for scallops of the day.

The salads - sorry that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots and spring onion with plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends some pastrami cured smoked salmon, Caesar, cos, parmesan, anchovies and croutons is received with enthusiasm.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find margherita, a classic medley of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella or rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats? cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket.

Pastas include bucatini carbonara with smoked haddock, pancetta and cream, or tagliatelle bolognaise, slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti.

Scottish salmon with noodles, Asian greens, coriander, pineapple and chilli salsa is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating and the spit honey gammon ham with creamed potato, parsley and truffle sauce is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib-eye and fillet steaks, and lemon sole with prawn and watercress butter and baby potatoes. Other choices encompass Peroni beer battered haddock and lamb rack with spiced dukkah crust.

A wide range of supporting dishes include creamed potatoes, Belgian frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

There is a good balance between Old and New World wines, and champagne is always on call. There is also a fine selection of beers in stock, ranging from standard lagers to European speciality beers such as Leffe and Erdinger as well as the noted Timothy Taylor Landlord.

There is a smoking area in the bar though it is a totally non-smoking restaurant, and they benefit from outside seating on a large external patio for up to 150 guests; it is also worth noting that they have a function room that can seat sixty, and also a bar area that can be hired separately that can accommodate a further eighty.

But like any other place where people come to enjoy themselves it's the people who look after then that count. Their attention to detail, their warmth and hospitality are the qualities that count and turn a good pub into a brilliant one. Make a point of meeting them at The Lyttelton Arms; before that, to get details on their menu and much more, why not have a look at their Website? Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

It is a welcome surprise to find a pub that has firmly grasped the gastro nettle in and around the Midlands, with pretty sensational results that include demonstrably freshly cooked food and a high zing factor, all sited in an imposing Tudor building of great character and true heritage. It also benefits from outside seating both in the front and the rear with delightfully tended gardens, seating up to a hundred and twenty, and dining 'al fresco' for sixty-four people.

Amongst the attractions are a 100-cover area for dining, an inviting drinking area, with staff who are friendly and professional. Equally people are drawn to the Barnt Green Inn by the interior which is stylish, very much open plan, and a return to such homely features as open log fires, stone-fired ovens, open kitchens and for that al fresco evening, some well landscaped decking.

The Inn is truly a place for all seasons, and the menu reflects this as it embraces not only the seasons but also the atmosphere within, ranging from cool chic in summer to the cosy warmth of a winter's day with the hatches well battened down.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of cured meats, dolcelatte, roasted vegetables, parmesan, rocket, stuffed peppers, green chillies and baked flat bread, or Greek mezze of taramasalata with red pepper humus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters, expect to find freshly made soup, sake cured salmon with wasabi crème fraîche and pickled ginger, or fennel with chilli crusted squid, pineapple and coriander salsa. The salads offer pang pang chicken, Asian greens, satay, cashew nuts and cucumber, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn, avocado, spinach, watercress, crispy bacon and garlic dressing tends to please.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; look for a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, the rustica with roasted vegetables, goats' cheese, tomatoes and rocket, or a Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella. Pastas include bucatini carbonara with smoked haddock, pancetta and cream or tagliatelle bolognaise with slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti.

For the big event there are choices such as calves' liver with sweet potato, beetroot gratin and watercress or sea bass fillets with stuffed Romano peppers, caponata, pesto and baby new potatoes. The Persian spiced lamb chops with tzatziki, tomato and red onion salad is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. For hearty eaters there are good fillet and rib-eye steaks, and lemon sole with prawn and scallop butter, watercress and baby potatoes.

A wide range of supporting dishes include tomato, rocket and mozzarella, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

A well-travelled wine list and service that is cheerful and efficient completes the recipe for success. Check their Website for further information on this attractive eating out haven. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.