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Set in a charming 17th-century building, The Ferry Inn offers delicious British cuisine made using fine local produce. From the pleasant riverside garden, guests can enjoy views onto the splendid Kentish countryside.

Led by Head Chef Dominic Wright, formerly of the Savoy in London, The Ferry Inn menu compiles locally sourced fish, meat and vegetables, as well as seasonal game. Whet the appetite with starters of oak-smoked Scottish salmon and Mackley Farm free range eggs on toasted brioche, and follow with main courses like roast rump of Romney Marsh lamb with bubble and squeak.

Tempting desserts of chocolate fudge cake or orange Grand Marnier cheesecake offer an indulgent close. A variety of real ales and fine wines are served from the bar at The Ferry restaurant, and a creative specials menu is offered.

A charming setting, The Ferry Inn is perched between the pretty towns of Tenterden and Appledore.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Housed in an attractive bay windowed period building, nestled among the shops bars and boutiques on Old Amersham Broadway, Caffe Uno Amersham offers an extensive selection of Mediterranean dishes in the heart of this charming market town. Its bright and airy interiors make it the perfect place to relax after a round of sightseeing or shopping. Local attractions such as the Amersham Museum, and Shardloes Mansion with its ornamental lake are within easy reach of the restaurant.
 
Easily accessible from High Wycombe and well connected to other commuter towns close by such as Rickmansworth, Beaconsfield and Chesham, Caffe Uno's modern décor with wood floor and comfortable booth seating and chairs makes it an ideal place to stop by for a hearty breakfast, quick lunch or leisurely dinner.
 
The a la carte menu offers starters of buffalo mozzarella salad with tomato, fresh rocket and extra virgin olive oil, chicken and chorizo spring rolls served with a spicy tomato dip or calamari dusted with seasoned flour and served with garlic mayonnaise.

For the main course, seafood lovers will relish such dishes as fillet of sea bass with green beans, capers and new potatoes in a white wine and butter sauce; tiger prawn risotto with baby spinach in a saffron sauce, or delicious paella with mussels and prawns alongside chicken breast and authentic chorizo sausage. Committed carnivores will be more than satisfied with a succulent rib eye steak with béarnaise or green peppercorn sauce; classic burger with 100% prime beef burger, ementhal cheese and garlic mayo in a sesame seed sour dough bun with your choice of side order or the char grilled chicken and field mushrooms with baby spinach in a Marsala wine. Vegetarians are also well-catered for with dishes such as broad bean risotto or aubergine parmigiana.

To round off select from a classic tiramisu, pannatone pannacotta with chunks of fruity pannetone, blood orange tart with cream or mini desserts of hazelnut marsala semi fredo, coffee cream latte semi fredo or Belgian milk chocolate semi fredo, served with your choice of coffee.

Caffe Uno is open every day from 9am; hungry diners can start the day with a hearty breakfast that could include eggs any style, streaky bacon, Cumberland sausage, mushrooms, tomato and toast; bacon or Cumberland sausage baguette, eggs Benedict, plain or chocolate croissant, muesli with yoghurt or honey and toast with jam along with coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Separate lunch and children's menus are also available.

If you would like to take away something after your meal, Caffe Uno offers a number of its own products, many of which are used in the dishes served in the restaurant. These include extra virgin olive oil, char grilled Italian peppers, Italian rocket and almond pesto, Sicilian nocellara olives, almond amaretti biscuits and Cuneesi chocolates.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

A sleek and stylish contemporary restaurant set over two levels, the Caprice Restaurant and Terrace at the Holiday Inn Reading, on Wharfedale Road, is the perfect place to retreat to for a quick business lunch, leisurely dinner with family and friends or a romantic rendezvous. Situated in the bustling Winnersh Triangle, the Caprice offers a modern European cuisine menu in a superb location; the venue is within easy reach of the towns of Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham.

Adding to the restaurant's charm is a resident pianist who provides a musical twist to the evening whilst you relax in the lounge with your favourite cocktail before dinner, or a digestif afterwards. The Caprice Terrace with outdoor seating is just the place for al fresco dining.

The talented kitchen team led by head chef Stuart Weeks has put together a delicious range of starter dishes, which include pork rillettes with red onion chutney, salad of scallops and crayfish with watercress and curry cream, duck liver parfait with orange jelly and clam chowder with crab dumplings (please note the menu changes seasonally).

Having satisfied the hunger pangs you could move on to a more sumptuous fare of braised shoulder of lamb served with pan fried sweetbreads, fondant potato and stuffed courgettes, fillet of beef with Savoy cabbage, Parma ham and chateau potatoes or whole roasted stuffed baby chicken, purple potatoes and Romanesco. If fish is your choice for the day then consider pan fried trout paired with baby gem lettuce, broad beans, new potatoes and toasted almonds or sea bass fillet with roasted fennel and saffron potatoes served with white wine and tomato sauce. Vegetarians can look forward to twice baked cashel blue soufflé served with green beans and walnut and tomato salad or roasted vegetable lasagne with basil and sundried tomatoes.

For the finale, choose between exceptional home-made desserts such as chocolate terrine with kirsch cherries, rhubarb crumble with clotted cream, crème brûlée with candied oranges and iced parfait with honey and walnut praline all prepared by the Caprice's talented pastry chef.

The excellent Sunday lunch menu treats diners to fare of roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and onion gravy and corn-fed chicken breast with potato gnocchi, ham and peas, which could be preceded by starters of curried chicken ballotine with lime and chilli dressing or seared scallops with pea and carrot purée and, perhaps, followed by dessert of blackberry and white chocolate cheesecake or gooseberry and elderflower fool. Two courses from just £16.95 per person.

Alternatively, consider a selection of Artisan cheeses including Cotswold blue brie, Lanark blue, Wigmore, rosary ash, Westcombe cheddar and Oxford Isis, served with fig compote, for an equally pleasant ending to the meal.

The table d'hôte menu offers guests two courses for £16.95 and three courses for £20.95. Other options include daily specials, a menu for children and festive menus for special days of the year. Open daily until 22.00 hours, Caprice Restaurant also offers space for private and corporate dining. To find out more, click on the restaurant's Website.

The subject of a complete refurbishment in 2006 designed to create a buzzy contemporary atmosphere, The Poacher lays good claim to being a home to honestly good food and drink, in the safe hands of host Mark Hider. It's a great place for business lunches or a family gathering with a super little private room that can be booked in advance.

Under Head Chef Andy Maclean, cuisine is taking on a new look but remains essentially British, although his Scottish roots haven't completely deserted him. All dishes are prepared from the best fresh ingredients from local suppliers, and cooked to order. So flexible is the system that they give a qualified undertaking to 'see what they can do' if somebody comes along with a request for an item not on the menu.

From a choice of about twelve starters expect to find haggis fritters with a spicy tomato sauce or creamed leek and stilton filo pastry tart. Increasingly popular amongst the diet conscious is the starter of marinated olives, rustic breads, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Rustic pork and rasin terrine comes with toasted brioche, and fresh soup of the day with freshly baked bread can often make a comfort starter of satisfying proportions.

Wild boar is back on the menus and confit of leg comes with a chocolate jus and crispy potato pancakes, a filling dish indeed, and pan-fried liver is served with smoked back bacon, mash and a mustard sauce.

Steaks come in the traditional forms and weights with a choice of frites or chunky chip and sauces. Nor is fish overlooked and pan-fried sea bass fillet is served with a lime risotto and parmesan crackling. The reinstatement of the burger to its proper place amongst quality meat dishes is welcome - too long has it languished in the dark places of mediocrity. Choose it at The Poacher accompanied by cheese, bacon or poached egg.

Pudding enthusiasts will recognise one of their own at work with sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream, citrus tart with fresh berry coulis, and a wonderful selection of homemade ice creams. For the others it could be a chocolate fondant with coconut ice cream or prosecco jelly with summer berries and mint syrup. All their coffee is organic, Rain-forest friendly and Fair Trade.

Sundays see a slightly reduced menu which is more than made up for by the 'Poachers Roast' a plateful of 3 different roasts.

There is also a good range of sandwiches, and for those of you that want to sit outside in the sun, there is a super patio area. When all is said and done pubs are about drinking, and whatever your tipple pleasure is bound to follow, with Asahi, Becks Vier, and Sharps Doombar amongst the star-studded cast as well as the locally brewed Canterbury Jack. A well constructed wine list contains a goodly number by the large or medium glass, including champagne and prosecco.

Music lovers could enjoy live 'Roots, Blues and Jazz' in the bar on Thursday evenings from 8.30pm.

The well constructed and informative Website will fill in the detail on this lively, friendly Kentish pub with honest food and drink.

The White Horse joins the group of popular pubs known as Peach co-founded by Lee Cash. Opening his first pub, The Rose and Crown in Warwick, ten years ago, Lee is passionate about good, honest food along with efficient and friendly service. This pub in Harpenden, about a hundred miles from Brocket Hall has regained its original charm and includes a superbly designed interior.

The private dining room, with a seating of 12, is designed with a diversity that offers the right environment for a cheerful party, or those with more romantic activity in mind.

From a menu large enough to excite interest rather than suspicion look for starters of free-range chicken and summer vegetable terrine with apricot chutney, or Cornish crab cocktail with guacamole and taco. Amongst the main courses the Casterbridge rack of lamb with creamy mash and minted peas, roast Romano pepper and tomato quiche with garden salad rouses interest, alongside with pan-fried Welsh sea bass, fennel, apple and potato coleslaw with summer leaf salad.

Desserts are a must and you could choose from warm treacle tart with mascarpone; chocolate brownie and Vanilla ice-cream, or lemon posset, lime syrup with ginger biscuits.

It is to be hoped that the worthy folk of Harpenden and district recognise genius when they see it. My guess is not only that they will but that they will be joined from a far wider spread.

More information can be found on their Website.

The Duke's Head in Crawley offers guests a menu filled with British pub classics as well as contemporary Mediterranean dishes. Whether you are dropping in for a bite, quick lunch or leisurely dinner with family and friends a warm welcome, exceptional food and a premium drinks list awaits you. Set in the heart of the Sussex Weald, The Duke's Head is easily accessible from the M23 and just a short drive from Gatwick as well as the nearby towns of Horsham, Dorking, and Hayward's Heath.

A striking mock-Tudor building on Church Walk, minutes away from Crawley Rail Station, The Duke's Head's large windows lend a bright airy ambience while the warm colour scheme, cosy corners, wood floors and the crackling log fire offer the perfect antidote to winter weather.

Refreshing Mediterranean flavours fill the à la carte and are evident in dishes such as grilled goats cheese crostini served with roast sweet potatoes and borlotti beans or pasta of braised rabbit in Aspall's Cyder with mushrooms, spinach, cream and pangrattato. The pizza's are equally excellent, alongside classic Margherita and pepperoni varieties are more inventive toppings such as tiger prawns and char grilled courgettes with chilli, tomato, gremolata and basil.

The mains selection is a mix of hearty offerings from the grill including a black and blue burger with dolcelatte, mushroom and chips; calves liver with champ potatoes, crispy shallots and red wine jus; spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and chips and the enduringly popular freshly battered haddock with chips, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas.

A number of specials and offers are offered each day of the week, notably the Steak and Wine Supper every Wednesday which offers a wide range of superb steaks along with a bottle of red wine at a whopping 50% discount, while fish and seafood lovers can look forward to Fabulous Fish Fridays. Sparkling Thursdays delivers a variety of fine sparkling wines and champagnes at special rates, and the Duke's Head lays out a delectable spread on Sundays with a variety of mouth watering roasts with lashings of delicious gravy and seasonal vegetables.

A two-course prix fixe menu, available for a weekday lunch or an early dinner, is most convenient if you are in a hurry. If you want to order a lite bite or mains to go with your drink, look no further than the bar menu which offers such dishes as trio of mini burgers ? spiced lamb burger with tzatziki, beef burger with tomato salsa and pork and chorizo burger, fennel crusted calamari with sweet chilli sauce and freshly battered haddock with chips, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas.

Wine is taken seriously at The Duke's Head and a carefully compiled wine list, in association with experts, offers a variety of classic Mediterranean white and red wines as well as examples from the rest of the world including the best of the wine producing regions of South Africa, Chile, Argentina and California. The pub also hosts regular wine tasting evenings.

More information can be found on their Website.

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.

Berkhamsted is a gorgeous town and was well in need of a gorgeous pub. Alan Turtill had rescued and restored the Old Mill, keeping what remains of its original Georgian and Victorian features, but making the whole place light and airy. The unloved yard at the back has been turned into a special space - the mill race crashes over the weir into a deep pool - and the garden borders the Grand Union Canal, perfect for watching the boats slide by on lazy summer evenings. The Old Mill remains a real pub, where you're just as welcome to enjoy a decent pint of bitter at the bar as a three course meal or bar snack.

It would be possible to enlarge upon all this indefinitely, but our purpose here is to tell you about The Old Mill and how they put into practice their strongly held principles. There is something very heartening to see sad old inns, particularly those whose character has refused to bow to neglect, being restored to useful life and becoming part of life's pattern in their particular community.

Senior Sous Chef Stefan Brodin and his team have designed a menu featuring traditional pub favourites as well as something a little different. They are in the kitchen everyday preparing all the dishes fresh on the premises. On their menu, you will find the very best quality fresh ingredients - fantastic sausages; free range chicken; moules marinière and mini loaf; 28 day dry-aged Aberdeenshire 24oz cote boeuf - sourced from producers who take pride in their products and an ethical stance in their production.

The Old Mill menu always makes the most of seasonal ingredients - this ensures they avoid air-freighting and keeps us in touch with the cycle of the year - while combining the best of great British cooking and influences from around the world that are now part of our culture.

The deli board lists cheese, charcuterie, veggie, favourites, fruit and vegetables, and fish or the customer can have the option of making their own board from the five options. The deli can be enjoyed as starters, nibbles or tapas. If the conversation level is proving demanding let the restaurant do the work for you by selecting a selection from one of the five.

The Old Mill is open from 10am for breakfast. Start the day with a hearty full English or bacon or sausage sandwich and a glass of champagne with friends. The express menu also operates from noon to 6 pm, offering Mediterranean vegetable with goats' cheese tart, cherry tomato and herb salad, chips and burgers as well. Noon to 3pm, and 6.00pm to 10pm their a la carte menu is on offer with an ample selection of dishes which pulls in the locals who have quickly come to regard The Old Mill as a second home.

Afternoon tea is served everyday from 12pm - 6pm while, sandwiches with smoked salmon or Mediterranean vegetables are served with chips or soup of the day, Monday to Saturday.

A relatively short but punchy wine list mingles well with the menu, so few will quibble with this much needed addition to the local scene.

A swift click on their Website will keep you in the picture over menu changes, special offers and events. You could also consider visiting The Thatch at Thame, sister pub and only 30 mins from The Old Mill.

Ten minutes from Central Milton Keynes and two minutes from Cranfield, The Swan at Salford is an attractive tile-hung Edwardian pub in a lovely village setting.

Since opening in 2005, The Swan has won a great local reputation, a view endorsed by the British Institute of Innkeepers in 2007 when it voted owner, Andrew Coath, Licensee of the Year (out of 8,000 nominations). You may know The Swan's sister pubs, The Black Horse, Woburn and The Embankment, Bedford.

It would be possible to enlarge upon all this indefinitely, but our purpose here is to tell you about The Swan at Salford and how they put into practice their strongly held principles. Located in a rural setting, The Swan offers the pleasures of a country gastropub within easy reach of the town. After a major overhaul one of the significant addition has been a comfortable and relaxed dining room where formality exists only to enhance the experience of those who look for a sense of occasion.

The à la carte menu together with a selection of great Sunday roasts is also served on Sundays. On sunny days we have a BBQ on the terrace throughout the week and offer an al fresco menu all day everyday.

If you are after a quick bite or a light lunch - just tell them - they'll happily advise on the best options for you.

A typical evening, for instance, offers a pleasurable setting to the after-work unwind groups, and others seeking a special setting for a meal that is reliable rather than over-challenging. This is well-achieved through the abilities of Head Chef, Mark Godbehear, whose first aim is to assess and meet the expectations of a clientele that knows what it wants.

A meal can start with a visit to the deli board, either for nibbles or starters - a selection of interesting cheeses, cold cuts, veggie or fish, as well as an Indian influence. The perfect way to share some of the best products they source. On their menu, you will find the very best quality fresh ingredients - fantastic sausages; free-range chicken and eggs; seared scallops and seafood; 28 day dry-aged Aberdeenshire steak - sourced from producers who take pride in their products and an ethical stance in their production.

The Swan always makes the most of seasonal ingredients - this ensures they avoid air-freighting and keeps us in touch with the cycle of the year - while combining the best of great British cooking and influences from around the world that are now part of our culture.

The wine list bears the imprint of somebody who knows about wine, and whilst not lengthy is very much to the point. It is always heartening to see well-respected labels in evidence, with prices mostly contained within the £13 - £30 range, offering value for money and well-travelled choices.

The gastropub is not a phenomenon created by the marketing men, it is primarily a reasoned response to public demand. The Swan is a fine example of a thoroughly thought-through answer to that question.

For more information about this attractive gastropub, do take a look at their Website.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.