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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.

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.

Noodlewood is not just your straightforward oriental restaurant. Once inside you'll find an almost bewildering choice of cuisine starting with Japanese, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Chinese and Thai dishes and a good many hybrids in between. Needless to say this makes for adventurous eating as a careful and often prolonged study of the extensive menu will show.

Try chilli teriyaki gyu pho from the Vietnamese fusion stable. Pho noodles are made from rice flour and originate from Mongolia and in this dish they come with grilled beef marinated in teriyaki sauce, red onion, menma and wakame in a meat broth, served with coriander, beansprouts, fresh chillies, Japanese pickled ginger and a wedge of lime.

Since this is but one dish you will understand why we are stopping there, on our assurance that there are many more such wondrous surprises. Vegetarians are admirably catered for.

Brace yourself for many a journey of adventure.

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.

A listing in the Michelin, Good Food Guide and AA Good Food Guide is not a mean feat and at Fox and Hounds it's a complete family affair with James wielding the ladle in the kitchen and his wife Bianca ensuring that guests are looked after well front of house. The dining area with its antique furniture brings in a slightly formal atmosphere while the bar is more relaxed and welcoming.

The menu is printed daily and blends in English, French and rustic Italian influences; so you could start with a sauté of scallops and Thai spiced green papaya salad and rabbit rillettes with pickle and toast. This could be followed by Black Angus côte de boeuf with a serving of fat chips and Béarnaise sauce or slow roast belly of organic Old Spot pork and braised Savoy cabbage.

At the bar expect more than just Adnams' beer, there's a selection from the Meantime Brewery in Greenwich and a weekly local guest ale.