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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.

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.

This once used to be the place where the district's nurses lived and the bedrooms are named after them. Now a charming little hotel, it continues to care for its guests with good food and warm hospitality. The restaurant with its bright and fresh feel is not only well-known for its cooking, thanks to the 'Best Breakfast in Britain' title from the AA, but also for its thoughtful service, adventurous wine list and accessibility to people with impaired mobility. Surely a nurse knows best!

The seasonally changing dinner menu displays a mix of house specialities and British classics supplemented by daily specials using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. So there could be pear and butternut squash soup, followed by fillet of Shetland salmon in cointreau and cream, and bananas flambées for dessert. Although the 100-bin wine list is predominantly French, with seventeen examples, there are fifteen other countries represented; unusually thirteen wines are offered by the glass.

The Riverview Restaurant of this splendidly located waterside hotel offers a refined but informal approach to comfortable dining. Though the landlord is Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, part owner of the hotel is John Illsey, the drummer from Dire Straits.

The menu changes regularly, but it could start with bresaola with a roquette and parmesan salad or seared tuna with stir fried vegetables and a lime and sesame dressing; followed by baked cod with a mint crust, pea ravioli and asparagus or roast Gressingham duck breast with confit of leg, foie gras and honey glazed carrots, and finishing with almond and chocolate sponge with amaretto or banana canelloni with mango salad. Prices on the wine list are reasonable and house wine starts at £12.50, including one wine from the Beaulieu Estate. More informal food is served next door at The Yachtsman's Bar & Galley.

This is a pleasant little unspoiled pub, which has never forgotten its original purpose. That said, the food is not to be underestimated, especially in the evenings. There are frequent menu changes and much of the ingredients come from the locality. If you enjoy eating good food against a background of pleasant bucolic jollity, look no further. A pretty brief wine list but prices are good, from £12 upwards and most tastes can be satisfied.

Liz Cottingham has owned the Mill for almost six years; it is located in one of the most beautiful parts of an outstanding county. This former 17th century watermill is a homely and well-run pub with restaurant and rooms easily accessible from Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

Liz is very proud of the fact that they source most of their food locally or organically and also that they make everything on the premises including soups, sauces, ice creams and bread. At lunchtime they offer snacks, which include homemade Scotch eggs with homemade brown sauce, fresh Lymington crab with organic leaves and local new potatoes.

Proximity to the sea seems to drive the main menu along quite marine lines, a source of pleasure to many; it changes with the seasons and includes lobster and crayfish ravioli, fresh asparagus with béarnaise sauce and delicious puddings such as mango soufflé with coconut ice cream and a trio of raspberry desserts.

Perhaps the best part of all is their beautiful riverside gardens with a family of ducks - they even have a pet duck called 'Crispie', who lives with the manageress and makes a guest appearance on the days she is working!

There is nothing minimalistic about the Mill deco, it is cosy and warm but with touches of modern art and sculptures. Seven individual bedrooms and a gorgeous private dining room/seminar room with Bang and Olufsen technology.

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.

A richly decorated restaurant, evoking thoughts of Tudor fantasies but fortunately stopping short at the food. Dishes in the Stanwell Bistro embrace local produce such as a tian of brown Solent crab and Isle of Wight seabass.