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Every so often some English pub, usually in the Home Counties, often sadly neglected and run down is the beneficiary of a makeover by a combination of Peach Pubs and an entrepreneurial, local character working with them. The results are invariably of a high order and another proper pub is returned to the fold.

This time it's the turn of The Richard Onslow, in the heart of Cranleigh, a handsome building with hung red tiles, which has been given a thorough overhaul and is back in business to the delight of locals and those from further afield.

In charge is John Taylor. John has wide experience in the trade and after deciding that British hospitality is at its best in pubs he had a spell at the Punch Tavern in Fleet Street before linking up with Peach. John and his team in the kitchen have worked out a menu that celebrates pub favourites as well as something a little different. Fresh food prepared on the premises is their policy, with spectacular results.

Breakfast is served from 9am to 11am. An express menu operates throughout the day, five dishes such as ham, egg and chips, designed for speed, backed by substantial sandwiches all served with chips or soup of the day. A deli board behaves rather like an international selection of tapas, all available individually or a selection by the board, all served with rustic bread or chutney.

Lunchtime, from noon to 2.45pm, could run along the lines of chicken and spring onion terrine with apricot and walnut chutney, Gressingham duck breast with spinach, potato rösti, chickpea and orange jus, options on char-grill and salads.

In the evening the deli board is brought back into play and can serve either as a starter or even as a main course derived from a series of small dishes, possibly for a group. A number of either/or dishes can fit in as required, amongst them courgette, pea and broad bean risotto, with/ without honey roast ham, backed by some more conventional starters potted crab with roasted rye, or roast tomato and mozzarella tart with tapenade.

A char-grill treat of 28 day dry aged Casterbridge côte de boeuf on a board for two comes with chips, grilled tomato, roast vine tomatoes and béarnaise sauce, and from amongst eight main courses look for chilli and lime-spiked fishcake with summer salsa and baby leaf salad, or Gressingham duck breast, spinach, potato rösti, chickpea and orange jus.

Puddings at The Richard Onslow are not to be taken lightly, in any sense, but outstanding are the strawberry Eton Mess, and lemon posset, lime syrup and ginger biscuit. They are strong on aprés la guerre with a good selection of coffee, stickies and nightcaps.

The express menu along with sandwiches is served from noon ? 6.30pm and those who want to have routine in their food can opt for roast of the day teamed with a seasonal vegetable dish. Most dishes points in between there is something to please everyone, except vegetarians! A wine list of elegance and good judgement from all over keeps stride well with the menus.

This is a well recommended pub-restaurant well deserving of Alastair Sawday's judgement of the group as a whole, "The most innovative small pub group in the land". Click on their Website for forthcoming events and menu variations with the seasons.

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.

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.

If you're looking for a restaurant out of the ordinary, chances are you'll fall in love with The Barn. The place was built around 1590 and had close associations with the area and the Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. It was a tea room in the 1940's and was a regular haunt of many airmen.

There was a suggestion that Ernest Hemmingway visited the barn during the War. Things have moved on and the Barn has been under the watchful eyes of the Maguire family since 2000.

The dishes are all created using locally sourced produce, and fish and meat dishes form a major part of the menu. Choices range from small plates of smoked haddock and scrambled eggs, to slow-roasted shank of lamb, fillet steak, steak and kidney pie, and mushroom risotto.

You'll be glad you left a little room for dessert that could include a rich chocolate torte or Eton mess.