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The Pine Marten is an attractive country house that had been lovingly restored, with a thoroughly modern feel but retaining the character of the original building. Upstairs there is a twelve bedroom hotel. It is one of those pubs that have surfaced on the mainstream of casual eating in the UK and are taking an increasing share of the market, evidenced by their growth in numbers and the popularity of what they have to offer. If this results in a 'type' there is certainly no harm in that.

Contemporary pubs such as these usually share a number of characteristics. An important feature is space, preferably a restaurant where you are comfortable, not over-awed, and not sharing elbow space with the next table, however sociable they may be. Good, too, to have an enclosed rear garden with an ornamental pond as a centrepiece, providing some 100 seats as an optional al fresco eating out space, and last, but by no means least, a roomy and well stocked bar where you can actually get served without undue delay. After all, drinking should be taken seriously.

If a pub offers all of these, and is in a good location, there is little reason in today's economic climate why it should not flourish. The Pine Marten provides ample evidence that this is true. But of course there are other factors, not least of which is the food and drink. The term 'gastropub' covers a multitude of blessings and it is possible to see influences of brasserie, bistro, restaurant and even café at work within the great gastro umbrella. So expect to find no one single cuisine, but a blend designed to provide something for everybody, no matter what their treat may be.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of Italian meats, dolcelatte, marinated vegetables and warm stone baked flat breads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with flatbreads.

Amongst the starters, expect to find freshly made soup, smoked salmon with pomegranate molasses, fennel and micro herb salad, or gambas with rocket, garlic aioli and rustic bread. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads offer chargrilled chicken, courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn and avocado with pecans, mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette 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 pomodoro, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil, rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes or piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños.

The grill and rotisserie dishes for hearty eaters are well worth trying and choices include spit chicken with lemon, garlic and frites, and rib-eye steak with smoked paprika and tomato butter, watercress and frites. For the big event there is roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes. Blackened cod fillet, egg noodles, pak choi, mango and chilli salsa is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Salmon with crab and chorizo fishcakes, roasted sweet corn and cherry tomato salsa add further dimensions to a wide choice range.

Well presented supporting dishes include tomato and red onion, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard, and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and there is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

The Pine Marten stocks a wide range of beers, both well loved draught ales and bottled from further afield. The wine list covers plenty of territory from traditional clarets to Pinot Grigio, and champagne by the glass or bottle is always available. Service is cheerful, brisk and totally in keeping with the friendly nature of a good English gastropub.

For up to date information please refer to their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

We hear a great deal about recycling these days - du Vin recycles attractive but often un-loved buildings to restore real gems in the best tradition of British understated style.

Complement that with all that is best in the French bistro ethos, bars that reach out to please, and you have a setting that provides an inspirational background for people to meet, do business, get married, provide a base for golf or fishing, somewhere you can call your own for a private celebration, a spa or - most engagingly - a wine school that breaks the mould.

Situated close to the centre of the historic North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate, du Vin has brought together eight Georgian styled houses overlooking the 200 acre common, called The Stray. Within they have installed 48 superb bedrooms and strikingly airy loft suites, with pristine beds, luxurious Egyptian linen and unique décor. All beds have handsprung mattresses, fine Egyptian linen, deep baths and power showers. High speed wireless internet access is available in all rooms.

The 2 AA Rosette bistro serviced by Head Chef, Murray Wilson and his team expect to find the impeccable service for which Hotel du Vin is renowned. Starters include honey glazed ham served with fried eggs, pineapple; homemade pork pie with apple piccalilli; and a salad of beef rib, truffle potatoes, watercress and hazelnuts. From amongst seven or so main courses the roasted pigeon breast and braised leg with wild mushroom and broad bean risotto appeals to those who like something a little different, whilst carnivores can enjoy themselves with a Donald Russell, dry aged, grass fed, rib eye steak served with fat cut chips.

Amongst the simple classics spare more than a thought for the oxtail terrine and horseradish cream, or the artichoke barigoule.

Whilst one might argue that the whole point of being in a du Vin is to snuggle up to the wine list, this list is designed to march with the food and can only be described as superb. With a team of four sommeliers, headed here by Mark Perlaki, there is no room for anything but the best. They have a Cruvinet wine machine, said to be possessed of magical powers. Perhaps a little testing might be in order. Service is telepathic in the best possible sense.

Click on their Website for full information and rates. Hotel du Vin, with fourteen options throughout Britain, awaits your call.

Two minutes from the centre of Harrogate, but a million miles from the average restaurant, Villu Toots is truly different; its classic, yet stunningly contemporary, minimalist decor provides a chic, stylish setting to accentuate the individuality of its customers. Large enough to seat up to 70 people in spacious comfort and yet maintain an intimate and friendly atmosphere.

A very contemporary menu embraces both the traditional and the unexpected, and delights those who not only appreciate excellence but also prize value. Starters could be: carpaccio of peppered tuna with a fennel, papaya, radish, lemon and coriander salad; a warm tartlet of tomato, basil and glazed goat?s cheese with a rocket and red onion salad and a vintage balsamic vinaigrette or cheddar cheese soup finished with leeks, tomato and fresh chervil and homemade cheddar and chive bread.

Then those might be followed by a choice of seared calf?s liver with blue cheese dumplings, Irish cabbage and a light mustard sauce; grilled langoustines and red mullet fillets coated in a bouillabaisse style sauce, Gruyere cheese, rouille and herb sippets; fillet of turbot with scallops, baby leeks and wild mushrooms or pesto linguini topped with char-grilled Mediterranean vegetable kebab with fresh parmesan.

Desserts are no less tempting, who could resist a dark chocolate torte, seared fruits, mint and champagne syrup; crispy baked apple, sultana and armagnac samosas, cinnamon mascarpone cream or iced blood orange and Grand Marnier 'glace' souffle, confit of pineapple? The wine list is equally diverse, with fine vintages rubbing shoulders with more youthful newcomers, and throughout your meal Villu Toots's lively convivial staff provide informal but attentive service.

For further details, do have a look at their attractively presented Website, which also has their full menu.

If you are too tired after dinner to drive home, you can even opt to stay overnight at The Balmoral Hotel in one of their sumptuous bedrooms, which helped them to win The Which? Good Hotel Guide Hotel of the Year in 2002, or call them on +44 (0)1423 508208.

Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.

Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.

An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.

Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.

By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.

Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.

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.

Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.

Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.

The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.

The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.

Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.

Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.

Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.

You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.

This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.

Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.

A visit to 'The Drum', as the locals call it is like a warming step back in time with a richness and grandeur in the decor and atmosphere that gives you a feeling of comfort and importance. It is most definitively a place for the fanatical fish lover with not even the faintest of nods to the carnivores. You will find yourself amongst hordes of seafood enthusiasts enjoying such delicacies as whiting soup, poached sea trout, smoked haddock florentine and a wonderful seafood pie. With a wine list which is a revelation and house wines from £13.50 you will want to settle in for a while.

The Drum and Monkey was sold in the latter part of 2003 to Jan Fletcher, OBE, a local businesswoman and entrepreneur who has a passion for good seafood restaurants; her other restaurant Bryan's won the Leeds Best Fish and Chip Restaurant Award 2007. Against the odds, Ms Fletcher has carefully maintained the reputation, atmosphere and traditional hearty menu that previous owner William Fuller was so famous for, making The Drum one of the best seafood restaurants in Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire Hotel is a Victorian building, which fortunately, instead of being demolished, was imaginatively converted to an alternative use, eventually to emerge as a thoroughly contemporary hotel. The elegance of the original features have been retained, though it provides all the facilities that you would expect to find. The transformation also included the opening of the stylish HG1 Brasserie and Bar, a very popular venue, not only for the guests but also for the locals.

HG1 is a contemporary brasserie style bar that provides a useful addition to the Harrogate restaurant scene. The glory of yesteryear's art-deco period is highlighted in the décor and ambience of the place, while, in contrast, the modern lighting is bright with conical shaped fixtures.

The brasserie provides an extensive choice of both regional and international dishes, while, in the bar, there is a range of options running from light bites to more substantial fare. The brasserie is open for lunch and dinner from Sunday to Friday with both table d'hote and a la carte menus on offer; there is also a wide selection of wines and beers available to complement your meal.

The hotel is an ideal spot to hold either your business meeting or to enjoy a relaxed city break and visit attractions such as the Harrogate Spa, the Turkish Baths and Health Spa, the Royal Pump Room Museum, and the Yorkshire Dales, including Nidderdale, an outstanding area of natural beauty. Harrogate is easily reached by either train or plane.

The Ascot House in Harrogate is a welcoming hotel quite near all the conveniences, particularly the Town Centre and the Harrogate International Centre. Proximity to shopping areas also makes this an attractive stop over location for visitors and rooms are tastefully furnished with all thought given to modern comforts. The elegant restaurant offers traditional and contemporary English dishes in a relaxing ambience. Light bites and more formal meals are offered throughout the day and week.

Enjoy starters of chicken pate with homemade chutney or smoked mackerel fillet with mushrooms and crispy bacon bits. Main courses such as pan seared fillet of Scottish salmon with champagne sauce or roasted beef with pan juices and Yorkshire pudding are tempting while simple but delicious dessert options include a fresh fruit salad with dairy ice cream. Wines from the well stocked cellar complement the meal perfectly.