Midlands Restaurant Guide

Originally the dower house for nearby Haddon Hall, the Peacock was recently acquired by Haddon's owner Lord Edward Manners and has been inventively refurbished as a small luxury hotel.

Bakewell Road, Rowsley, Derbyshire

TV chef and presenter Mike Robinson had his very first pint in the Pot Kiln and, many years down the line, he decided to buy the place and run it as his very own pet project.

Frilsham, Yattendon, Berkshire

Make no mistake, this old-fashioned, half-timbered pub in food-conscious Marlow called The Hand & Flowers is no ordinary boozer. Yes, it still has hanging baskets, skull-cracking beams, real ale and a few lunch specials for the drinkers, but that's where its 'country pub' credentials peter out.

126 West Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Serious food from a roadside eatery is the cry from The Yew Tree Inn, a seventeenth-century pub restaurant on the Andover Road at Hollington Cross and a stone's throw from Highclere Castle.

Hollington Cross, Highclere, Berkshire

Collections of sporting memorabilia and celebrity photographs are a reminder that Galloway's is a firm favourite with the golfing set.

Aberdeen House, Woburn, Bedfordshire

One of Oxfordshire's great pubs, The Fishes in North Hinksey Village was given a new lease of life by the enterprising Peach Pubs Company, which now runs a handful of successful outlets across Central England.

North Hinksey Village, North Hinksey, Oxfordshire

Since opening its doors in December 2004, the Old Bakery has become one of Lincoln's hot spots with a fistful of accolades to its credit (including 2 AA Rosettes, a 'Profit through Passion' award from Lincolnshire Tourism in 2007 and Gold Award winners in the East Midlands Tourism 'Enjoy England Excellence Awards 2007' in the Taste of England category.

26 - 28 Burton Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Accolades have come thick and fast since Andreas Antona moved from Kenilworth to the leafy enclaves of Edgbaston, and the new Simpsons is now firing on all cylinders as a Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms.

20 Highfield Road, Birmingham, West Midlands

Forbury's takes its place at the top end of the Reading dining scene, situated in the new Forbury Square development and within a few minutes walk of the railway station and the Oracle Centre.

1 Forbury Square, Reading, Berkshire

Known to all as 'The Butterfly', Al Frash has been one of the main players on the Sparkhill and Sparkbrook balti scene since 1991.

186 Ladypool Road, Birmingham, West Midlands