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Strada describes itself as 'a group of stylish, contemporary Italian restaurants, serving good quality, simple and freshly prepared dishes'. The statement sums up what this group of around seventy restaurants offers to people looking for good Italian food. The first outlet opened in Battersea in 1999 and their clientele has been increasing steadily ever since.

Though Strada has grown into a fair sized group, each outlet retains the feel of being a local neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The menu includes pastas, risottos, salads, and fish dishes, but they are best known for their quality pizzas.

They present authentic Italian dishes in contemporary surroundings and aim to use only the freshest and finest ingredients, such as Luganica sausages, Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy to provide exactly the kind of rustic, traditional dishes one would expect to find travelling around its regions.

A meal could kick off with zuppa vongole e fregola, a traditional clam soup with Sardinian fregola pasta grains, wine, chilli and parsley, served with bread, or the delicious sautéed king prawns with garlic, white wine, chilli, and lemon butter served with your choice of bread.

Move on to their creamy risotto verdure, freshly grilled asparagus, broad beans, peas, spring onions, zucchini, green beans, white wine and mint, finished with baby spinach leaves. Or you could opt for the healthier, tagliolini nero granchio, black cuttlefish ink pasta with crab, courgette, red and yellow peppers, spring onion, and a hint of chilli and parsley. A real treat for the taste buds comes in the form of the bistecca manzo, a 10oz rosemary-marinated char-grilled, rib-eye steak with fries and fresh rocket.

A range of pizzas, all spun by hand, is an integral feature of each restaurant. They include the rossa, with spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic, fresh oregano, tomato and mozzarella. Nor are vegetarians are overlooked, and can be found tucking into dishes such as fiorentina, made of spinach cooked with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper with mozzarella, parmesan, tomato and an egg.

For those wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth, there is torroncino affogato, an iced nougat semi freddo with a shot of espresso to pour over, or a classic Italian tiramisu and, as you might expect coffee to round off the meal.

A wine list consisting of purely regional Italian wines, beers and liqueurs, all carefully chosen to complement the menu comes as no surprise and in addition, every table receives a complimentary bottle of purified water.

For further details including their latest news, menus and deals, and to find a Strada nearest to you, their Website certainly warrants a visit.

The Cheshire Smokehouse in Vost Farm, Wilmslow, is a one-stop destination for everything smoked. The great part is that most of what you see is created right there on the premises.

The Smokehouse Shop sells a range of home-cured bacon, sausages, freshly jointed meat, smoked fish, prepared meals, sauces, and even smoked nuts to wholesale and retail customers.

An artisan bakery called the Smokehouse Pâtisserie offers freshly baked breads, quiches, pies, cakes, and pastries, and the Café allows customers to take a break from shopping and relax over coffee, lunch, or afternoon tea.

Expect to find mouth-watering sliced smoked duck breast, gourmet sandwiches of Cheshire ham and cheese, platters of smoked salmon, fresh crab, smoked trout, fresh prawns and home-cured gravalax; cured meats, fresh seasonal melon, Italian cheeses, caperberries, olives, artichokes and sun blush tomatoes, and for those hungry souls, an 8oz sirloin steak, among other choices.

Before I forget, the Smokehouse wine shop sells over 400 carefully chosen wines and spirits largely sourced from small, high-quality estates around the world.

Slug and Lettuce has a chain of almost a hundred bars spread across the country sharing a common love of serving down to earth, undemanding food and drink.

The group prides itself on offering dishes prepared using quality ingredients, and you should be attended on by attentive staff in a safe, welcoming and cheerful environment. The Slugs have something for anyone - breakfast for a lively start to the day, lunch for busy people, family meals or even a relaxing glass of wine to bring a tiring day to an end - all in a variety of modern and stylish settings.

The menu features old time English favourites such as Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages in buttered mash or fish pie made with Dartmouth smokehouse haddock, in a Devon cream and leek sauce, although dishes look to Europe and further afield to Asia for inspiration. A good way to start the enjoyment is by sharing platters of Southern fried chicken breast pieces, crispy potato wedges, garlic ciabatta strips, half a rack of BBQ pork ribs, wasabi vegetables with onion rings or some Greek mezze

Hearty steak pies, Thai curry with sticky jasmine rice or butternut squash with goats' cheese lasagne are amongst the more popular main dishes. Sandwiches or wraps - warm tortilla with chicken and Parmesan or aromatic duck in plum sauce - provide for those who prefer something lighter. They also serve burgers as well as tempting salads like salmon, asparagus or tomato and mozzarella. For children they have good old British standby sausage and mash, or pepper pasta and ketchup among other choices, all of which never fail to delight, particularly as some of them seem to have come out of a certain celebrity chef's Book of Forbidden Dishes.

Desserts appear in the form of raspberry biscotti, hot chocolate pudding or a creamy strawberry cheesesake. The wine list is well compiled and substantial. There are not less than seven French, three from Italy and some from Spain, Chile, Australia as well as New Zealand. Slug and Lettuce can cater for events including birthday parties, fashion shows, hen nights, wedding parties or just an enjoyable night out with a few friends.

Situated in the heart of Wilmslow, Sarafina is a modern Italian restaurant run by Valentino and Mandy Fazelynia. Being privately-owned ensures a lot of flexibility and sensitivity to the needs of diners.

From a simple pre-cinema pizza or pasta, through to an evening out with a bottle of wine and an a la carte meal, the menu has something to please everybody. The emphasis is more on fish and there are always four different choices on the menu, apart from the specials board that could include sea bass, monkfish and shellfish.

A typical meal could begin with a Mediterranean salad, or avocado and prawns baked in cream with mozzarella cheese. Mains encompass pizzas, pastas such as the diavola of penne with tuna, chilli, tomato, sweet peppers and basil sauce; fillet steaks, slow-cooked lamb shanks, con fungi of chicken breast cooked with mushrooms, chives, and cream; and veal Marsala with wild mushroom and Marsala wine.

Special dietary requirements are catered for, and Sarafina hosts special events from intimate gatherings to large parties of up to 80 people.

The Felicini chain of Italian restaurants opened its doors in northern England in 2003, and grew to become known for serving good quality modern Italian cuisine through a choice of menus all carrying the Felicini signature style of 'traditional classic with a distinctive modern twist'.

The contemporary havens are cut away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with contemporary interiors incorporating dark wood, leather and mirrors. Each branch has a special style of its own, from being perfect pit stops for lunch, and favourite haunts of students, to places where you could enjoy a latte and watch the world go by.

The menus offers a range of tasty dishes such as starters of piatto grande di antipasto loaded with marinated olives and baby mozzarella, char-grilled chorizo, mixed bruschetta with prosciutto, tomato and basil and dips of hummus and spiced aubergine with garlic and cumin baked flatbread. Signature main courses consist of pan-fried sea bass fillet, slow-roasted confit duck leg, pizza and pasta, and delectable desserts like giant profiteroles.