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Prezzo has been delighting diners for over seven 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 tomatoes 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 carry firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti bolognese, and fusilli al paesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and toasted peppers.

Amongst the special pastas, the crespolina porcini, rolled crepes filled with mushrooms and ricotta, cooked with parmesan and mushrooms in a cream 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 tuna, tomato, anchovies, capers and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, capers, marinated olives, mozarella, field mushrooms, mozarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, chargrilled butterflied chicken breast, smoked bacon rashers and beef tomato slices, baked in the oven with melted cheese and served with gratinated potatoes, 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.

An attractive and deservedly popular country inn in beautiful natural surroundings serving, amongst other things, the best of Cornish. The brûlée of ewe's cheese with wild mushrooms, the brûlée made from the Devon Vulscombe cheese, makes an admirable starter. Follow with the fillets of local sea bass, grilled and served on a smoked mussel broth. Then die happy in the knowledge that at least before you went you relished the chocolate fondant, a baked chocolate cake with a gooey centre, accompanied by glazed banana and rum and raisin sauce. No wonder people beat a path to their door. A good wine list with house wine from £10.70.

Within the calm of this handsome Georgian house is a restaurant in which the best of English cooking, with some imaginative flourishes into a wider sphere, is served graciously and well. Only the best of local produce is deployed. Some evenings there will be live, but discreet music. The freshly prepared cream of tomato soup with croutons may sound slightly banal but it is a long time since I enjoyed it so much. The fillet of Cornish hake, glazed with smoked cheese and surrounded by a tomato, white wine and herb sauce was a rare treat, and was well rounded off with a dazzling array of home-made puddings that left one viewing even the local cheeses with a slightly jaundiced eye. The selection of over one hundred wines, many in half bottles is an added attraction.

On a stunning viewpoint overlooking Swanpool Nature Reserve and Beach which - important information this - is one of only eleven brackish lagoons in Britain, a fact mentioned only to draw attention to the contrast provided by the Indaba on the Beach which would not look out of place alongside Bonzi Beach. In the nicest possible way this is an ideal haunt for beach bums, but without the poverty. You can have a few beers, maybe a sandwich, bowl of chowder or you can push the boat out and have lunch between 12.00-2.30 and in the evenings meals are served between 6.30-9.30.

The menu carries heavy overtones of the sea with International influences, so think grilled fillet of mackerel served on a bed of hern infused couscous with homemade pesto, pan roasted Cornish scallops with pea puree, Spanish morcilla and apple jelly or poached rolled fillet of lemon sole served on orange glazed fennel and butter.

The food is supported by a good range of beers and wines, there are tapas all the time, and the decking is sandy and user-friendly, like the livin'.

Flavoursome Caribbean cuisine comes to Falmouth in the form of Cribbs Dine and Lounge, a bistro style restaurant that serves up interesting dishes imaginatively created from local produce, some of which include Thai favourites. The atmosphere is convivial and relaxing and the friendly vibe makes this a popular spot for locals and visitors. There's also a freshness to the décor which is appealing in its simplicity and this Arwenack Street restaurant has become a hotspot for laidback lunches and late breakfasts, not to mention exciting dinners with friends and family.

A regular meal there might involve starters of sauté butterfly king prawns in white wine, chilli and lemon before leading on to a main course of herb baked snapper with ribbons of vegetables, rice and peas or oven roasted Jamaican jerk chicken with seasoned rice, plantain and pineapple chutney. No lacklustre alternatives for vegetarians but instead a fantastic selection of attractive dishes which eases the party along even for the non meat eating individuals. Choices for wine are concise but excellent.

Lovers of good wine and food, from holidaymakers to locals, are attracted to the inviting Ratho Wine Bar and Restaurant, tucked away above the Falmouth Bookseller. Brothers Aly and Ru Cameron have restored the beautiful period dining room, circa 1820, to its former glory. Get away from the crowds with a glass of wine and your new book or pop in for a meal before you visit the theatre.

A full-fledged drinks list is available providing much pleasure with carefully selected bins that range from good house wines all the way up to beer, spirits, and Krug vintage champagne.

On offer is a lovely range of modern British food, all created from quality Cornish produce. Starters of half-roast poussin, fondant potato, pancetta, and tarragon butter, or seared pigeon breasts and duck livers tick all the boxes. A short but tempting choice of mains has baked brill fillets, chive mash, tiger prawns, spinach, and parsley sauce; rump of beef with oxtail pie, and spiced vegetable fritters, garlic lentils, tomatoes, and coriander sauce.

The two-chocolate bavarois with orange sorbet can only be ignored with the greatest difficulty - why bother?

The Green Lawns is an ivy clad, chateau style hotel overlooking beautiful sub-tropical gardens in Falmouth, in the heart of the Cornish Riviera. The leisure destination could be just the place for a few days of fun and relaxation at any time of the year.

The menu at the award winning Garras Restaurant reflects the seasons and is changed periodically to incorporate this. Many of their dishes are inspired by herbs grown in Green Lawn's own garden. Fillet of monkfish with wilted greens, confit garlic and wild mushroom cream is a typically robust main course while meat eaters might be drawn to pan seared venison with wild berry rösti, green bean salad and vanilla sauce.

Precede these dishes with king prawn kebabs or avocado and pimento mousse with mango chutney and if space permits conclude proceedings with mixed Cornish cheeses with olive and sun blushed tomato bread, balsamic grapes, and a spiced apple and plum chutney.