
Northamptonshire is where the outer reaches of the Home Counties rub shoulders with the Shires of Middle England.
Big tourist attractions are a feature of the county, and restaurants rely on them: Silverstone, the Grand Union Canal and notable country seats like Althorp all bring in the punters.
Genuine local specialities may be thin on the ground, but this is the edge of the Midlands' 'pork pie belt' and there are also many small producers supplying restaurants with everything from goats' cheese to soft fruit.
The Windmill at BadbyA picturesque thatched English pub, with log burning stoves and stone-flagged floors, The Windmill in Badby maintains its traditional 17th Century appearance as well as good food and hospitality.
Main Street, Badby, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern British
The Red LionThe focal point of a genteel village midway between Northampton and Bedford, the Red Lion at Brafield on the Green has taken on a new lease of life as an up-scale, bistro-style gastro pub.
36 Bridle Path, Brafield on the Green, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Queen's HeadThe Queen's Head in Bulwick is a quaint 17th Century stone building and an increasingly popular venue which is renowned for excellent food and service.
Main Street, Bulwick, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern British
Fawsley Hall, Equilibrium RestaurantUnique among Northamptonshire hotels, Fawsley Hall is a magnificent country house in the grand style. Dating from Tudor times, it was originally home to the Knightley family and played host to Good Queen Bess during Elizabethan times.
Fawsley, Daventry, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern European
The Red LionThe Red Lion is the quintessential rural pub complete with thatched roof nestling in the the tranquil village of East Haddon, just eight miles from Northampton.
Main Street, East Haddon, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The Royal OakAn archetypal Northamptonshire ironstone inn, the 300-year-old Royal Oak at Eydon has been sympathetically improved without sacrificing any of its character or atmosphere.
6 Lime Avenue, Eydon, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Gastro pub
The FalconNot much remains of the castle where Mary Queen of Scots met her fate, but the honey-coloured Falcon in the shadow of Fotheringhay's majestic church is still going strong.
Main Street, Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Gastro pub
Hellidon Lakes, The Lakes RestaurantPart of a sprawling complex involving a spa and leisure club, bowling alley and 27-hole championship golf course, Hellidon Lakes stands in 220 acres of countryside on the borders of Northamptonshire and Warwickshire.
Hellidon Lakes, Hellidon, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: International
Langberrys Restaurant, Kettering Park HotelCentrally located within easy reach of the motorway network and the Midlands, Kettering Park Hotel with its Langberrys Restaurant is a purpose-built modern hotel and spa and a favoured destination for leisure breaks, business and special events.
Kettering Parkway, Kettering, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern European
Rushton HallA grandiose Northamptonshire mansion dating back to 1438, Rushton Hall is set impressively amid acres of landscaped grounds and parkland within easy reach of Corby.
Rushton, Kettering, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern British
The Snooty FoxThe only pub in the genteel one-road Northamptonshire village of Lowick, the Snooty Fox occupies a handsome sixteenth-century manor house replete with gables and historic appendages.
16 Main Street, Lowick, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern British
The Vine HouseJulie and Marcus Springett have been presiding over this delightfully preserved stone house since 1991 and have retained its character as a very personable country restaurant-with-rooms.
100 High Street, Paulerspury, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern British
Roade House Restaurant & HotelOver the years, this sturdy stone building has served as a schoolhouse and village pub, but for more than two decades it has been the domain of Chris and Sue Kewley.
16 High Street, Roade, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Modern British
The Thai GardenA beautiful Historic Town famous for its healing springs, Rothwell is now becoming increasingly respected as the town for the top quality and authentic Thai Food to be found in The Thai Garden restaurant.
3 Market Hill, Rothwell, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Thai
Murrays RestaurantA modern building it may be, but Whitlebury Hall still maintains the grandeur of a Georgian Estate and their premium restaurant Murrays is no exception.
Whittlebury Hall, Towcester, Northamptonshire - Cuisine:
The Sheaf InnA family-run eighteenth-century village inn, just a short drive from junction 18 of the M1, the Sheaf is a 'hidden little gem,' according to one UK Restaurant Guide reporter.
7 West End, West Haddon, Northamptonshire - Cuisine: Gastro pub