South East Restaurant Guide

The stunning collection of half-timbered, rough-stone buildings that makes up Bailiffscourt may look as if it's genuinely medieval; in fact it was painstakingly created from scratch as a labour of love during the 1920s.

Littlehampton, Climping, Sussex

The Dining Room has been doing great business in Hersham for more than two decades and it continues to deliver the goods as a congenial village eating house with a crowd-pleasing blend of nostalgic cosiness and generous food.

10 Queens Road, Hersham Village Green, Surrey

Famed for its superb location by the banks of the River Test, the Greyhound at Stockbridge is the very model of an affluent Hampshire hostelry.

31 High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire

It might seem rather odd to name a twenty-first century restaurant after a long-dead Saxon chief, but the ancient village of Aylesford is close to where the man himself met his end centuries ago.

7-9 High Street, Aylesford, Kent

A congenial fixture of the Richmond restaurant scene, La Buvette occupies a one-time refectory in the shadow of St Mary Magdalene church.

6 Church Walk, Richmond, Surrey

At first glance, Brula Bistrot may look slightly ecclesiastical with its stained glass windows, sturdy pews and dark wood fittings, but there's nothing reverential about the happy atmosphere that pervades this much-loved neighbourhood venue.

43 Crown Road, Twickenham, Middlesex

During its lifetime, the immensely likeable Landgate Bistro has established a reputation for honest, classy food based emphatically around local ingredients.

5-6 Landgate, Rye, Sussex

Since Food for Friends opened its doors in 1981, this ground-breaking and effervescent restaurant in The Lanes has become a by-word for inventive vegetarian food in Brighton.

17-18 Prince Albert Street, Brighton and Hove, Sussex

A beacon of good food and professionalism not far from Portsmouth's urban sprawl, Bistro Montparnasse continues to make friends. The premises – once a private house not far from the seafront – has been revitalised over the years by Kevin Bingham and John Saunders, who have created a bright and breezy interior with striking artwork hung on the walls.

103 Palmerston Road, Southsea, Hampshire

A redoubtable fixture of the Folkestone restaurant scene for more than 20 years, the India is a real treasure, yet still one of Kent's best kept secrets.

1 The Old High Street, Folkestone, Kent