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The tranquil setting of Little Hallingbury is conducive to numerous things, mostly leisure orientated, but even if you're on one of those vacations where you don't want to do anything, this is the great place to relax and let the world go by. While you're at it, you could enjoy a stay at the Grade II listed Little Hallingbury Mill, which offers affordable rooms, welcoming customer service and pretty rural surroundings.

At ground level, the bistro offers a casual and cosy atmosphere, and with the restored mill machinery as a centrepiece, it works well for weekday lunches while the upstairs restaurant has a traditional English environment particularly at weekends. Starters on a regular evening could include Atlantic prawns and Marie Rose sauce followed by grilled salmon fillet with a garlic and herb crust. The chocolate sponge pudding does very well for dessert, and to complement the menu, there's a great selection of wines and British fine ales. Sunday roasts are very popular featuring two delicious main courses.

With beamed ceilings, exposed brick walls and wooden floors, The Lemon Tree is housed within a charming 16th century building, making the best use of its historic setting. The Courtyard is for those who'd like a whiff of fresh air alongside their mid-morning coffee, a light summer lunch or an afternoon tea. After being featured in the Michelin and Good Food Guide, Bishop's Stortford residents have a good reason to visit this restaurant and enjoy some fine cooking by Luke Fishpool and warm hospitality rendered by his wife Sue.

Lemon Tree's commitment to local and regional suppliers cannot be more emphasized on their menu, with notations such as 'l' and 'uk' indicating their sources. So whether it's the potted kipper pâté with tomato relish and Melba toast; creamy local rabbit and potato pie, or chocolate gateau with black cherry parfait and Chantilly, the idea is to preserve cultural cuisine and sustain neighbouring eco-regions.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

Eponymous chef patron Anton Edelmann's elegant modern lakeside restaurant at the Great Hallingbury Manor Hotel offers guests a diverse European and international cuisine menu with a 'personal twist'. If that's how you like it, get a ringside view of the action at the chef's table which can seat ten guests. Superb views over the lake complement the ambience indoors.

Stimulate the taste buds with dishes ranging from mini toad-in-the-hole with Hatfield Broad Oak chipolatas, wild mushrooms, mash and onion gravy to assiette of Wicks Manor pork with cauliflower purée, spiced lentils and herb mash. Distilling years of culinary experience allows Anton to offer fusion fare of roasted skate with gratinated fennel, mussel and saffron broth, pan-fried mackerel with pickled vegetables, quail's eggs with roasted pumpkin tart and braised halibut with fennel, orange and coriander. Bring the meal to a delightful end with strawberry soup and elderflower sorbet or pineapple parfait with pistachio nuts and pineapple crisp.

The Corn Exchange building was once a place where farmers and merchants traded cereal grains, but with the Host Restaurant and Bar located in the front, the clamour of the traders is now replaced with the clinking of cutlery and somewhat calmer conversation. The décor is all brown and minimalist with features like exposed brick walls that lend an air of originality.

Start with chicken liver and foie gras parfait with apple and grape chutney and toasted brioche, creamy pea and ham soup with crispy bacon, or tempura marlin served with a chilli dressing. Mains of Chinese style king scallops and monkfish stir fry come with a coriander and coconut milk dressing, while char-grilled chump of lamb with warm purple truffle potatoes is accompanied by a green bean salad and mustard cream sauce. For desserts there's passion fruit bavoir with a tropical fruit salsa and iced raspberry soufflé with tuile biscuit.