Over 100 food experts opened their address books for BMW 's Good Food Ride. Foodies including Heston Blumenthal, Richard Corrigan, Jason Atherton, Henrietta Green, Zoe Ball, Michael Caines, Chantal Coady, Russell Davies, Zaha Hadid, Nick Nairn, Richard Reed, Patricia Michelson, Alice Temperley, Sue Webster and Jonty White reveal their secret places to eat.
We kick off with East Anglia ...
Best seaside fish and chips
Flora Tea Rooms, Suffolk
If there is a quintessential fish-and-chip experience it involves a small shop with cheery service and the sea in close proximity - which is precisely what you find at this wooden shack in Dunwich. Most visitors eat their chips in Aldeburgh, but locals come out here for the glorious golden fried fish, eaten while walking by the sea or at Flora's trestle tables. Skate, the local speciality caught in sustainable amounts by the little wooden trawlers you can see in the harbour, is cooked to perfection. This is one of those places that regulars are evangelical about, and once visited, you can see why.
Flora Tea Rooms, Dunwich Beach, Saxmundham, Suffolk (01728 648433)
The most welcoming fire on a cold day
The Lifeboat Inn, Norfolk
This is a 16th-century smugglers' inn on the Norfolk coast, surrounded by sand dunes and pines. In summer its vine-covered conservatory and walled garden are exquisite places to eat, but in winter there is no better experience than working up an appetite with a walk on Thornham beach, and then to be greeted by the Lifeboat's huge roaring fire. Order a bowl of hot mussels, followed by a portion of chocolate and Guinness sponge. Patrons are still encouraged to enjoy a game of 'Pennies', outlawed by George III in the late 1700s. Rooms are basic but comfortable, and the morning fry-ups include deliciously salty kippers, smoked haddock and poached eggs.
· The Lifeboat Inn, Ship Lane, Thornham, Norfolk (01485 512236)
The perfect sweetshop
One St James Green, Suffolk
There is nothing new about this place, but that's the point. It's a teeming cornucopia of psychedelic jars, rolls, tubes and packets. One nominator was delighted to find that it not only stocked Rosey Apples, but carried three different varieties. As well as old favourites like these and Bullseyes, Acid Drops and Dolly Mixtures, there are some real rarities like Clove Balls and Coltsfoot Rock. To top it all, you'll be served by patient Suffolk ladies who are as sweet as the brightly coloured stuff on the shelves.
· One St James Green, Southwold, Suffolk (01502 726039)
The best place to buy fish from fishermen
The fishing huts, Aldeburgh
The town has a deserving yet little- known attraction in the fishermen's huts on its broad shingle beach. Here local fishermen have for years hauled up their boats - small, traditional craft with crews that fish in sustainable ways - and sorted and filleted their catches in the sheds, and sold directly to the public. Usually the fish on sale will be bass, skate, sole, crab and lobster in the summer, and cod in the winter - all so fresh that, in the case of the skate, you'll be advised to leave it for one or two days before cooking (any sooner than that and it will be rubbery). Lobsters are cooked in the mornings, medium to medium rare, which is how they should be eaten - buy one and you'll see why. Fortunately the number of sheds open for business is now back up to five. All are equally deserving of your custom.
· The fishing huts, Crag Path, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
East Midlands
The place that cheese lovers always dreamed of
The Cheese Society Cafe, Lincoln
This cheeseoholics mecca is at the headquarters of Britain's Cheese Society. The society began in 1997, expanded to a shop in 2000 and, by 2002, added this smart cafe in the centre of Lincoln - the only cheese cafe in Britain. The menu features dishes such as double-baked Gruyere soufflé and there are over 200 cheeses to take away.
· The Cheese Society Cafe, 1 St Martin's Lane, Lincoln (01522 511003)
The best village shop
Colston Bassett Store
Opening the gate and ambling up the skewwhiff path to this lovingly restored store, you get a sense of stepping back in time. All inglenooks, beams and drawers are stuffed with sweets, the store has everything you'd expect from a village shop. You can buy a newspaper, post a letter and drop in at 8pm for that forgotten pint of milk. But what's also inside is a fine deli counter serving award-winning antipasti and olives, a traditional bacon counter, an enviable selection of French and British cheeses, and freshly baked breads from the village's bakery. Opened in 2004, the shop makes clever use of what was once a tiny home and post office. You'll find the bacon store in the old front room and fine wines adorn what was once a sitting-room wall.
Colston Bassett Store, Church Gate, Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire (01949 81321)
The quaintest nook-and-cranny-filled café
Scarthin Books, Derbyshire
It's quite hard to find the shop, tucked away up a small side street in Cromford, but that makes its existence all the more intriguing. Scarthin is a rambleshack of a bookshop, stacked to the ceilings with thousands of books. Weave your way through the bookcases and winding stairways and you will discover a humble cafe. It's almost a surprise, given the cluttered look, to find that the food is excellent. At lunchtime the open kitchen serves large bowls of steaming soup with hunks of bread, filling homity pie with salad, and hearty nut roasts. An added bonus is the tiny garden and its odd assortment of mismatched tables and chairs. The rare books on the shelves in the cafe are the only reminder that you are in fact sitting in a bookshop and not your granny's house.
· Scarthin Books, The Promenade, Scarthin, Cromford, Derbyshire (01629 823272)
The most entertaining proprietor
Robin Mitchell of Soul, Derby
If you approach Derby along the country roads of the Peak District - and you should - you may well encounter Robin Mitchell in his tiny white Piaggio van. On many days he goes trundling off around the countryside, visiting farms to pick up ingredients to cook and serve at his deli/restaurant. This man inspires tremendous respect from Peak District farmers, several of whom he has singlehandedly kept in business. Mitchell scours Derbyshire for his menus: herb-crusted loin of Derbyshire lamb with roasted courgettes; goats' cheese from the Peak District Dairy with a salad of pea, broad bean and apricot; butter-fried Panettone with strawberries and thick Derbyshire cream ... the list goes on. If you ask where your steak is from, he will tell you the name of the cow ...
· Robin Mitchell of Soul, 30 Green Lane, Derby (01332 346989)
The connoisseur's caff
Grindleford Station Cafe, Derbyshire
A fantastic place in the middle of great Peak District walking country, the former Grindleford Station is now a haven for hikers and bikers. The portions are huge, the fry-ups legendary. You can sit outside and listen to the trains thunder by or sit inside and warm yourself next to the fire.
· Grindleford Station Cafe, Upper Padley, Grindleford, Derbyshire (01433 631920)
The most stylish ice-cream vans
Frederick's of Chesterfield
Frederick's fleet of 20 vans operates in and around the Peak District at sites such as Hardwick Hall and Bakewell. The ice-cream tastes as good as the vans look - the vanilla ice-cream recipe has remained unchanged since 1898. You can also visit Frederick's gelaterias in Bakewell, Derbyshire, and Queens Park, Chesterfield. Try the Bakewell Pudding flavour - a jammy fusion of the local dessert and the iced one that the company's founder brought over from Italy in the 1870s.
· Frederick's of Chesterfield, 88 Old Hall Road, Brampton, Chesterfield (01246 275293; www.fredericksicecreams.co.uk)
West Midlands
The most quintessentially english teashop
De Grey's, Shropshire
Located in an Elizabethan half-timbered building in the centre of Ludlow, this has been a town landmark for more than 80 years. From the moment you join the queue and spy the waitresses in their black uniform topped with aprons and starched caps, your mouth will start to water. The tearoom is wood-beamed and quaint, while the cakes (all baked on the premises) are second to none.
· De Grey's, Broad Street, Ludlow, Shropshire (01584 872764; www.degreys.co.uk)
The North East
The most perfect pick-your-own
Brocksbushes Fruit Farm, Northumberland
A huge part of the farm's appeal is its beautiful rural setting; wandering around here on a sunny summer's day with bees buzzing and the scent of the ripening fruit in the air, you get a real Cider with Rosie tingle as you take your basket down the rows of strawberries, tayberries, blackberries, gooseberries and raspberries. When you've picked enough fruit, stroll along to the tearoom for a strawberry cream tea.
· Brocksbushes Fruit Farm, Corbridge, Northumberland (01434 633100; www.brocksbushes.co.uk)
The tastiest kipper tea
L Robson & Sons Ltd, Northumberland
The Robson family's 150-year-old smokehouse in the beautiful, stony village of Craster on the Northumbrian coast, specialise in the traditional methods of oak-smoking. The herrings are strung up in rows from the smokehouse rafters, then smoked over fires of whitewood and oak sawdust. Between Easter and the end of September (call ahead to check dates, and be aware that busy days can generate long queues) you can try the Robson's wonderful harbourside restaurant.
· L Robson & Sons Ltd, Craster, Northumberland (01665 576223; www.kipper.co.uk)
The North West
The best dim sum
Yang Sing, Manchester
Harry Yeung is famous for two things in his home town; firstly he owns the city's best Chinese restaurant and secondly, he lives in George Best's former bachelor pad. Harry's father was a renowned dim-sum chef in Hong Kong. Try the steamed sliced pig's tongue with red dates, suckling pig with jellyfish, and cuttlefish.
· Yang Sing, 34 Princess Street, Manchester (0161 236 2200; www.yang-sing.com)
The most idyllic vegetarian
Quince and Medlar, Cumbria
In one of the most beautiful locations in the world, the Quince and Medlar was a fine-dining vegetarian restaurant when most people were still getting used to the squashed pulses at Cranks. Be inspired by dishes such as roasted beetroot, tossed with horseradish and balsamic in a celeriac tuile basket.
· Quince and Medlar, 13 Castlegate, Cockermouth, Cumbria (01900 823579; www.quinceandmedlar.co.uk)
The best farm shop
Low Sizergh Barn, Kendal
The entrancing Low Sizergh Barn, on the National Trust's Sizergh estate in the Lake District, has certainly raised the bar with its tearoom, where large windows allow customers to watch as the cows that live on this 250-acre organic farm are brought in to be milked at a quarter to four in the afternoon. The farm shop is located in the converted 18th-century barn, which sells local products - including bottles of the milk.
· Low Sizergh Barn, Low Sizergh Farm, Sizergh, Kendal, Cumbria (015395 60426; www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk)
Scotland
The most weird and wonderful seafood
Creelers, Isle of Arran
This is the James family's original smokehouse and bistro, set in the old byre of Castle Brodick's home farm. The Jameses' fishing boat catches fish and crustacea like delicious squat lobster, spider and velvet crabs, surf clams, clappy doos (a sort of horse mussel), palourdes and winkles, which all go down nicely with a glass of chilled white wine and lots of smoked fish from Creelers Smokehouse. Just 50 yards from the sea. For an even more rural experience, go to the Seafood Cabin at Skipness (ferry from Loch Ranza to Cloanig), where Tim's sister Sophie serves basic seafood from Whitsun until the end of September (open 11am-6pm).
· Creelers, Brodick, Isle of Arran (01770 302797; www.creelers.co.uk)
The most romantic
Summer Isles Hotel, Ross-shire
The hotel scores highly on aphrodisiacs, with dramatic views, an abundance of fresh seafood and accommodation that includes a converted boathouse and a luxurious log-house. Its appeal is summed up by the owners who say 'there is a marvellous amount of nothing to do'.
· Summer Isles Hotel, Achiltibuie, Ross-shire (01854 622282; www.summerisleshotel.co.uk)
The best to arrive at by boat
The Royal Hotel, Argyll
Who needs the Med when you can sail your yacht straight up the Kyles of Bute for dinner? Moor your boat - or if you are not a sailor, take the 20-minute ferry from Gourock to Dunoon - then head for the terrace of the Royal at Tighnabruaich (pronounced tyner-brew-ick), a hotel run by two generations of the McKie family. Watch the porpoises and wading birds over a drink before dinner.
· The Royal Hotel, Shore Road, Tighnabruaich, Argyll (01700 811239; www.royalhotel.org.uk)
The best views
Badachro Inn, Ross-shire
On the south side of Loch Gairloch in the Highlands, Badachro Inn has wonderful vistas over the loch and the surrounding mountains, even as far as Skye and the Outer Hebrides. It may just be the best- positioned pub in the UK - and it also serves great local food. Prawns and salmon are delivered daily by local fishermen. In summer, the garden has unbeatable views over the bay and during the colder months, the bar is cosy with a roaring fire to huddle by.
· Badachro Inn, Gairloch, Ross-shire (01445 741255; www.badachroinn.com)
The most remote
Bonaventure, Isle of Lewis
Housed in a prefab on a former RAF base at the most westerly point of the UK, it feels not so much in the middle of nowhere as on the outer edges. Opened seven years ago by a husband-and-wife team, Bonaventure fuses the fruits of Scotland and France. Jo-Ann Leparoux handles front of house while her French husband Richard cooks up dishes celebrating Scottish beef, venison and fresh seafood. A typical dish might include a haggis-stuffed crepe with sweet chilli sauce, or smoked duck with raspberry dressing. Spectacular views of the Atlantic and a number of rooms.
· Bonaventure, Aird Uig, Isle of Lewis (01851 672474; www.bonaventurelewis.co.uk)
South East
The best fruit juice
The Brogdale Horticultural Trust, Kent
These 150 acres of orchards beside the M2 in Kent are home to Britain's National Fruit Collections, the world's most extensive set of fruit tree varieties. Brogdale pomologists - that's people specialising in the study of fruit - look after more than 2,300 kinds of apple, 550 pear, 350 plum, 220 cherry and 320 bush fruits. You can inspect these on tours of the site, and afterwards have tea - or juice - in the tearoom. The shop sells a range of juices made from specific varieties of apple and bottled by the Brogdale Trust itself.
· The Brogdale Horticultural Trust, Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent (01795 535286); www.brogdale.org)
South West
The most authentic seafood shack
The Oyster Shack, Devon
Visitors should note that twice a day the tide cuts off the tidal road, but you can go another route. Customers sit entirely alfresco - under tarpaulins and disused sails. The food is very simple; just locally caught fish, crustacea, and, of course, oysters, served raw or grilled, au naturel. You take your own wine and lunches last forever.
· The Oyster Shack, Milburn Orchard Farm, Bigbury, Devon (01548 810876; www.oystershack.co.uk)
The most Cornish Cornish pasty
The Lizard Pasty Shop, Helston
There is a battle raging in the world of Cornish pasties. The Cornish Pasty Association has submitted an application to Defra in an attempt to gain EU Protected Geographical Indication status, which would mean that only pasties made in Cornwall could legally be called 'Cornish' pasties; Ann Muller, owner of the Lizard Pasty Shop, has no cause for concern, however. Hers is a thoroughly Cornish enterprise. She was initiated into the art of the pasty by her mother, a professional Cornish pasty maker. Lizard village is the southernmost tip of the mainland. Opposite the lighthouse is Ann's tiny shop and she always sells out by lunchtime.
· The Lizard Pasty Shop, Beacon Terrace, The Lizard, Helston, Cornwall (01326 290889; www.connexions.co.uk/lizardpasty)
Wales
The eco-friendliest lunch
Centre for Alternative Technology, Powys
Fancy a glass of rose-petal wine after ascending 55m on a water-powered cliff railway? Once a slate quarry, this seven-acre site on the hillsides of southern Snowdonia is now one of Europe's most fascinating environmental display centres, with its own accommodation blocks (some made of straw bales), windmills and solar power. The restaurant is in an old slate building and abides by all recognised principles of sustainability, offering vegetarian wholefoods either grown in the centre's own gardens, or bought from local farmers. Tarka dhal with rice, tagines with couscous, wholemeal penne with spinach, mushrooms and walnuts in a cream sauce are typical offerings, accompanied by British country wines, including gooseberry, silver birch and elderflower 'champagne'. If you are keen to grow your own food, after lunch try the 'Taste Me' beds in the organic show gardens, which offer encouragement and instruction to even the most apprehensive gardeners. The 'Smell Me' beds offer a great olfactory experience, but the most popular exhibit is the composting area, where a working example of a compost toilet 'welcomes contributions from visitors'.
· Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Powys (01654 705950; www.cat.org.uk)
The wildest weekend
Fungi Forays, Powys
By day, author Daniel Butler leads mushrooming expeditions into the countryside around his home, in the beautiful Elan Valley in the Welsh borders looking for edible species. By night, guests enjoy fine wine, a tasting session and a mushroom feast. Foragers can expect to find a wealth of up to two dozen edible varieties, including porcini, shaggy ink caps and chanterelles (most of the world's edible species of mushroom grow wild in Britain's mild wet climate). As Butler points out, the treats that he finds can cost a small fortune in the shops, but are simply there for the taking from April to December.
· Fungi Forays, Tan-y-cefn, Nr Rhayader, Powys (01597 811168; www.fungiforays.co.uk)
The best bacon sandwich
One Planet Adventage Cafe, Denbighshire
No one is more dedicated to the art of making bacon sandwiches than the staff here, and no better place for generating the kind of hunger needed to fully appreciate their art. The One Planet Adventure Cafe is housed in a log cabin snuggled in the heart of this 650-hectare forest. It's their understanding that 'hearty' doesn't have to mean 'bland stodge' combined with the locale that makes the sarnies so special. In the words of one regular: 'All the ingredients are local and when, after mountain-biking 22km through the forest, you bite through the bread into the best bacon, then wash it down with a mug of strong tea, the experience can only be described as mystical.'
· One Planet Adventure Cafe, Coed Llandegla Forest, Ruthin Road, Llandegla, Denbighshire (01978 751656)
The best chef-gardener
The Cors, Carmarthenshire
'Cors' means bog or marsh in Welsh, which is pretty much what chef-proprietor Nick Priestland had to battle with on the small plot around his handsome 1830s house in Laugharne. Now it's all box balls and gunnera - a beautiful and intriguing setting for an unusual restaurant which opens just three days a week (Thursday-Saturday). The exclusivity has one very practical reason: Priestland is a true one-man show, doing all the cooking and gardening.
· The Cors, Newbridge Road, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire (01994 427219; www.the-cors.co.uk)
The best toast
Felin Fach Griffin Inn, Powys
According to Nigel Slater, the perfect slice should be cut thick from an old-fashioned white loaf, toasted over an Aga hotplate until golden brown with charring edges, and then spread with salted Welsh butter. Charles Inkin, owner of the Felin Fach Griffin Inn, clearly thinks the same way. His award-strewn restaurant-and-pub-with-rooms in Powys is possibly the only establishment in Britain allowing guests to make their own toast, Slater-style. If you stay overnight, you breakfast in the Aga room downstairs, where you can heave up the cast-iron lids of the Aga yourself, open up the toasting rack and clamp your bread inside.
It should be pointed out that the Felin Fach Griffin serves marvellous wine and food at all other times, too.
· The Felin Fach Griffin Inn, Felin Fach, Brecon, Powys (01874 620111; www.eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk)
Yorkshire and Humberside
The best ice-cream parlour
The Harbour Bar, Scarborough
Virtually unchanged since it opened in 1945, the serving ladies wear uniforms; the knickerbocker glories are phenomenal; the frothy milkshakes, soda floats and ice-cream dishes are to die for. Get a glass of Horlicks from the chrome machine, and you can almost forget you are in rain-lashed Scarborough in November.
· The Harbour Bar, 1-3 Sandside, Scarborough, Yorkshire (01723 373662)
Northern Ireland
The most atmospheric market
St George's Market, Belfast
This beautiful Victorian market, established in 1890, sells everything from shoelaces and tea towels to brill and turbot. Shoppers are less concerned about a bargain, more interested in buying something delicious from the mouthwatering selection of fresh and artisan produce. In true Northern Irish tradition, you'll never be short of a 'wee bun', or something fried. However this market is for serious shoppers too. Producers from the four corners of Northern Ireland gather here, so you can buy heather honey from the Mournes; organic, free-range chicken, eggs, and lamb from Limavady; and thirst-quenching apple and berry juices or prize-winning bacon, wild boar sausages and Galloway beef from Armagh. The market is covered, so you won't get wet, but when it's sunny, shards of light shine through the glass ceilings highlighting this architectural gem.
· St George's Market, Oxford Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland
· This is an extract from the BMW 1 Series Good Food Ride, created with Richard Benson and over 100 food experts including Heston Blumenthal, Richard Corrigan, Michael Caines, Henrietta Green and Jason Atherton - their podcasts can be downloaded from www.lseriesgfr.co.uk
