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The Devon Doorway is located on the leafy, rural outskirts of Heswall and looks every inch the quaint English pub, with its thatched roof and air of antiquity. Once inside, the spacious interiors invite diners to relax. Its long history has survived a refurbishment and has evolved into a stylish, open plan restaurant with a roomy bar.

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 a garden, an optional al fresco eating out space with seating for 120 at the front and rear, and 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. 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, garlic pizzette with caramelised onion and rocket, a box baked camembert with stiratta romagna and home made tomato jam, Mediterranean mezze of hummus with roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté and warm flatbreads.

Amongst the starters is freshly made soup, gambas with garlic, rocket, aioli and rustic bread, and spiced crab with avocado, prawns, ginger and pink grapefruit. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots, hoisin and spring onion with plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends prawn with avocado, pecans, mango, bacon with orange and pomegranate vinaigrette 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 pomodoro, mozzarella, oregano and basil; piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños or rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats? cheese and cherry tomatoes.

The roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, pancetta, asparagus, button onions and baby potatoes is popular, a welcome sign of the times. For hearty eaters there are rib-eye and fillet steaks, and calves liver with tray baked potatoes, red onion, bacon and sage panagrattato.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes green salad, Belgian chips and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and blackcurrant crumble with vanilla custard and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and there is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

The Devon Doorway 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.

A well constructed Website enables you to keep in touch with menu changes or forthcoming events. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

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.

A chain of restaurants in the North West which have so far managed to retain the individuality of independence. If they can continue to do that and reap the benefits of joint management they will deserve all the success they can achieve.

At Ego the spirit of the Mediterranean has been invoked in a number of ways, not least by the décor. Ingredients are sourced with care, often directly from the Med and the menu changes seasonally to take advantage of the best that is available.

Such dishes as sardines, fresh of course, and a braise of chorizo and black pudding come across well, helped by staff who not only look as thought they are enjoying their work but also obviously know what they are about. A well thought out wine list with a number available by the glass.