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hand picked restaurants

Ever since a colleague once arrived at licensed premises to find them in the final throes of consumption by fire, arson suspected, I have nurtured a certain reluctance to include such phrases as "you will find a roaring fire to welcome you" when reviewing.

However, you get the drift and the Lamb Inn is peppered with other period features as well, like stone flag floors, ancient wooden beams and bits calculated to guide your thinking towards old England. Which is a good thing because the food derives from there and progresses through the various ethnic additions of the last forty or so years to emerge triumphantly British with a modern twist.

Grilled New Zealand green-lipped mussels with garlic butter, topped with cheese compete with homemade tomato and Basil soup. A Thai chicken curry comes with Basmati rice, poppadum and mango chutney and stands well with an 8 oz Aberdeen Angus Charolais fillet steak with accompanying chips, peas, mushrooms, onion ring and tomato.

The sticky toffee pudding is graced with butterscotch sauce and ice cream and tea and coffee costs a modest £1 a cup. A well-built wine list has plenty of choice below £20 with decent Vin de Pays at £9.50 a bottle or £2.50 for a large glass.

Sadly, the man who used to bring his lamas for a walk to the pub, leaving them tethered outside, with interesting results when they broke loose and insisted on joining him in the bar, seems to be no more.

There's nothing quite like delicious and well prepared food to act as a social leveller, bringing all sorts of people together with the common aim of satisfying their appetites. So, it's not too difficult to understand why Pizza Piazza attracts families, couples, trendy urbanites or just about anyone who loves a good meal. With their wide range of wonderful and healthy pizzas, pastas and grill offerings, they have cultivated a loyal clientele across the UK.

For starters, the baked meatballs in Sicilian sauce with hot sweet peppers is interesting and you could follow it up with pollo insolente, chicken, spinach and garlic, baked in a creamy sauce with fusili. There's also a wide range of stone baked pizzas to choose from, and you could opt for a mattina, topped with bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms and eggs and end with a luscious triple chocolate pudding. The wine list is short, typically Italian, and there's a fine range of beers too.

Located in five hundred acres of rolling Sussex downland, Mannings Heath Golf Club has two championship courses that are at the forefront of must-play golf hot spots in the UK.

They also have excellent and varied choices for dining. You can choose Goldings, the only clubhouse restaurant in the UK to be awarded an AA Rosette for the quality of its dining. Then there's the buzzing Spike Bar, a more informal setting for a pre or post golf refresher. And The Lounge Bar, a patio terrace that offers fine views over the opening hole providing the perfect spot for a snack from the grazing menu.

Start with garden bean, mint and lemon risotto finished with parmesan. On to honey roast Barbary duck with warm beetroot and red onion relish, cocotte potatoes and end with peanut butter crème brûlée. The elegant and intimate experience is coupled with an impressive wine list designed to please every palate. 

There are numerous reasons for visiting or staying at the South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, but the most popular one might be the presence of The Pass Restaurant on its premises, which has earned no less than 3 AA rosettes in the brief period that it has been in action. While some might dismiss theme based restaurants as mere gimmickry, it is indeed gratifying to note that at The Pass, the seasonal fare emerging from the kitchen is as worthy as the concept to which it subscribes.

The Chef's Table acquires a new meaning at this 22 cover restaurant where all the diners are intimately involved with the events of the kitchen as they watch their food being prepared. Set menus preclude the need for an à la carte and you might find starters of parsley risotto with confit garlic and sherry vinegar, followed by fillet of sea bream with bean sprout and pak choi before ending with gingerbread cake with poached rhubarb and banana ice cream.