South east

Goods Shed, Canterbury

The huge windows of this converted engine shed let in rays of light that sweep across chunky pine tables on a raised platform. A relaxed buzz from the farmers' market below adds a comforting sense of community and earthy smells of English cheese and fresh produce reassure that the food will be of the best quality. A main course of roast organic chicken with sorrel, chard and potatoes was good. Even better was the vegetable platter, with mushrooms, black lentils, chard, hard-boiled egg, swede, tomato relish and salad leaves. Own-made cinnamon ice-cream had a perfectly creamy taste and texture.

· Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent (01227 459153).
Mains £8-£16.

JSW, Petersfield

Jake Watkins has established a gastronomic haven in this picturesque market town. The dining room is minute, and while the decor may not be overly exciting, the food is truly outstanding, and is accompanied by a seriously good and extensive wine list, strong in under-appreciated but noteworthy Alsatian vintages. The excellent value six-course tasting menu is taken from the carte, so on either menu you might enjoy such dishes as roast scallops with pea shoot salad, slow roast belly of pork and Earl Grey tea panna cotta with strawberries.

· 1 Heath Road, Petersfield, Hampshire (01730 262030). Set lunch from £19.50, dinner from £29.50.

Plough, nr Amersham

Formerly a pub, the Plough hovers on a sea of turf punctuated by two sentinel bay trees. Fish courses are expertly cooked, and a deep purple blueberry panna cotta with mango sorbet and elderflower escumé - foam to you and me - is top-notch.

· The Hill, Winchmore Hill, nr Amersham, Buckinghamshire (01494 721001). Mains £12.50-£16.95.

South west Porthgwidden Beach Restaurant, St Ives

This on-the-beach venue has a Moroccan theme, a decor of vibrant desert shades that complement the striking view of white sand and blue sea. Food is impressive: unpretentious and generous. Chicken andaluz was a crowd pleaser, with crisp roast chicken and baked vegetables. The specials board included a sumptuous chocolate and coffee torte for pudding. Wonderful value.

· Porthgwidden Beach, St Ives (01736 796791). Mains £5.95-£13.95. Tapas £3-£5.

Oyster Shack, Bigbury

This goes a long way to providing what people actually want from a restaurant, as opposed to what restaurateurs think their customers want. As many country house hotels face empty tables most weekday lunchtimes, the Oyster Shack is stuffed with punters - you must book regardless of the day. Not bad for a bring-your-own that's little more than a shack with a tarpaulin out front. Of course, the setting's part of the fun but the main draw is the ultra-fresh seafood: pan-fried sardines, potted shrimp, shell-on prawns or whatever the catch of the day might be.

· Milburn Orchard Farm, Stakes Hill, Bigbury (01548 810876, oystershack.co.uk). Mains £6.95-£16.95.

Midlands

Howard Arms, Ilmington

This inn-restaurant is textbook perfect. It overlooks a pretty village green, is quaint but airy inside, has a log fire and blackboard menu, and more than enough room to cope with its loyal clientele and passing trade, although best to book in advance. What sets the food apart is the quality of ingredients, the chef who cooks them simply but superbly, and prices that are fairly pitched. The Sunday roast Herefordshire beef was beautifully cooked and came with fresh greens and red cabbage.

· Lower Green, Ilmington, Warwickshire (01608 682226, howardarms.com). Mains £9.50-£15.

The Waterdine, Llanfair Waterdine

For the view alone, it would be hard to beat the rear dining room at this 16th-century drovers' inn. Head chef Ken Adams' short, seasonal three-course menu is formed from local ingredients (herbs, vegetables and fruit come from the garden) and imaginative twists on traditional fare. Fillet of brill wrapped in smoked salmon was perfectly done, as was herb risotto with balsamic roast vegetables.

· Llanfair Waterdine, Shropshire (01547 528214). Mains £10.50-£16.50.

East Anglia

Randolph, Southwold

Smartly decorated with bold modern colours, this renovated Victorian pub displays a passion or ingredients in their prime. Careful sourcing includes locally smoked salmon that's a must-try, as is beautifully judged line-caught wild sea bass, herb-crusted and served with minted spuds, char- grilled asparagus, warm tomato and basil vinaigrette. You must make room for stem ginger crème brûlée, rhubarb compote and lemon shortbread.

· Wangford Road, Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk (01502 723603). Mains £15-£17.

Three Horseshoes, Warham

Would that more pub food were like this: unfussy, fairly priced and cooked with care. Three Horseshoes is a lovely old place with a restful setting in a quiet village. Beer is local. From the blackboard menu by the bar, creamy artichoke soup was followed by a seafood and salmon pie with fish, fresh mussels, cockles and prawns. Equally praiseworthy were the vegetables, the own-made puds and the no-chips policy.

· Bridge Street, Warham All Saints, Norfolk (01328 710547). Mains £5.80-£8.20. No credit cards.

North

60 Hope Street, Liverpool

Gary Manning's superb front-of-house team and brother Colin's well-travelled suitcase of British-based fusions make a night out a treat. King prawns and Piedmontese peppers, pheasant and cabbage, salmon and risotto and tomato and mozzarella soup indicate a liking for basic Italian ingredients. Service is fast and unfussy, and there's a serious wine list.

· 60 Hope Street, Liverpool (0151-707 6060, 60hopestreet.com). Mains £13.50-£20.

Spread Eagle, Sawley

Undoubtedly one of Lancashire's best restaurants; the setting of the former 17th-century coaching inn is superb - floors creak, fires crackle and the rest of the world seems a long way away. Food is never short of stunning. Mains feature venison haunch steaks, or seared salmon with gnocchi. A carrot and cashew nut pavé was simple but successful - as are the desserts, like the layered chocolate truffle cake. A class act.

· Sawley, Lancashire (01200 441202, sawleystudios.co.uk/spreadeagle). Mains £5.25-£10.50. Set lunch from £9.25, dinner from £10.25.

Anthony's, Leeds

With his dad as business manager, his sister behind the bar and his Spanish girlfriend running the dining room, Tony Flinn is creating gorgeously innovative dishes from this 25-cover basement. The initially austere setting melts away with the arrival of roast duck breast with olive oil and chocolate bonbons or risotto of white onion with espresso and parmesan air. Flinn's inspiration comes directly from El Bulli, the famously avant garde eaterie near Barcelona where Flinn cooked for two seasons. He clearly learned well because everything - from starters of white loaf with fluffy parmesan butter, intensely flavoured roast scallops and a velvet-textured soup of butternut squash, to a main of roast suckling pig and a pudding of chocolate fondant and black sesame seed ice-cream - was just terrific.

· 19 Boar Lane, Leeds (0113 2455922). Mains £15.95-£17.95. Set lunch from £18.95.

Star Inn, Harome

If you want to eat in the Michelin-starred dining room and then stay in the luxury accommodation, you'll need to save up and book early. But if you turn up on spec at pub opening time, you can eat in the old polished oak bar, the best room on the premises. Either way, it's a treat. Feast on Ryedale roe deer, Whitby crab, Fadmoor beetroot with Ragstone goat's cheese, or beef fillet reared on a village farm. For pudding, order baked ginger parkin with rhubarb ripple ice cream and hot spiced treacle.

· Harome, North Yorkshire (01439 770397, thestaratharome.co.uk). Mains £9-£17.

Wales

Plas Bodegroes, Gwynedd

Plas Bodegroes sits in its own idyllic gardens on the Llyn peninsula. This Georgian rectory offers not just Michelin-starred dining but excellent bedrooms. Chef/owner Chris Chown works to produce imaginative food from the best local produce. Staff strike a balance between informality and efficiency; the dining room is simple but stylish. Starters include soups such as watercress with nutmeg glaze or ballotine of guinea fowl, apricot and pistachio and red pepper chutney. The monkfish and Carmarthen ham has become a national standard. Welsh lamb and beef are also well represented. Booking is essential.

· Nefyn Road, Pwllheli, Gwynedd (01758 612363, bodegroes.co.uk. Set lunch £17.50, dinner £38.

Carlton House, Llanwrtyd Wells

A quiet Victorian spa town provides the location for one of the principality's most dynamic kitchens. The confident pink facade of this wonderful Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms stands out from its more sober neighbours. Mary Ann Gilchrist's cooking is extraordinary on a number of levels. First, she is self-taught. Second, she runs the kitchen single-handed while husband Alan deals with wine and front of house. Third, the standard of food is consistently high. Modern British in style, there are French influences aplenty.

· Dolecoed Road, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys (01591 610248, carltonrestaurant.co.uk). Mains £22-£26. Set lunch/dinner from £19.95.

Northern Ireland

Cayenne, Belfast

The flagship of Paul Rankin's expanding empire delivers an uplifting flight from the ordinary. Try saffron risotto (with clams, chorizo and borlotti beans), char-grilled veal sweet breads (with balsamic lentils, rocket and crispy pancetta), and orange crème brûlée (with kumquat compote and hazelnut biscotti).

· 7 Ascot House, Shaftesbury Square, Belfast (028-9033 1532, cayennerestaurant.com). Mains £8-£20. Set lunch/dinner from £12.

Scotland Silver Darling Seafood, Aberdeen

Didier Dejeans' French seafood restaurant at the entrance to Aberdeen harbour goes from strength to strength. In 2003, a ground-floor oyster bar was added: neat, small and modern with a more informal approach (moules, steak frîtes). It only opens in summer and has tables outside for those days sufficiently warm to offset the North Sea breeze. Meanwhile, the main conservatory-style dining room upstairs provides perhaps the best food in the city. Three serious courses like woodland mushroom and langoustine minestrone with mascarpone dumplings and truffle oil to start; pan-fried medallions of monkfish with squid, spinach, fish roe and squid ink sauce as a main; then filo layers filled with cinnamon-flavoured pear, maple sauce and pecan nuts for dessert.

· Pocra Quay, North Pier, Aberdeen (01224 576229). Mains £18-£20.

Off the Wall, Edinburgh

A blessed counterpoint to all the tartan shops and backpacker hostels of the Royal Mile. It has understated, contemporary decor, and a solid reputation for its menu. All meat, game and seafood come from Scottish sources, but the style leans towards France. A great restaurant - and it still feels wonderfully discreet despite the location.

· 105 High Street, Edinburgh (0131-558 1497, off-the-wall.co.uk). Mains £19.95-£22. Set lunch from £16.50. Set dinner (pre-book only) £65.

· Time Out Eating And Drinking In Great Britain And Ireland 2005 Guide is published September 30 at £12.99.