The following correction was made on Monday March 26 2007

In the article below we got the name, address and telephone number for Midsummer Common in Cambridge wrong. This has been corrected.

Winner: Canteen, Spitalfields, London

You can learn a lot about someone by checking out the menus of the restaurants they love. And by checking out the menu at Canteen, voted OFM's restaurant of the year by you, we have been able to learn a lot of very encouraging things about our readers. Clearly, you don't like prissy food. You want satisfying platefuls of good ingredients, cooked well. You are proud of this country's culinary traditions, but don't want to pay through the nose to enjoy them. Value for money is key. And you want to be able to eat well at any time of the day. We always knew you were blessed with very good taste. Now you've proved it.

Canteen opened in London's Spitalfields in the autumn of 2005. (No whining at the back there about London bias. We weight the results by population so for a restaurant in the capital to win it has, proportionally, to get many more votes than a restaurant elsewhere.) The look of the place is decidedly modern: it is a glass-walled box with an open kitchen and bare refectory style tables, some of them communal. The food, however, has far deeper roots that penetrate the history of the British larder. This the place for Welsh rarebit, or dark, glossy devilled kidneys on toast, for lovely puff-pastry pies, or buttered Arbroath smokies. At breakfast they can serve you the best bacon sandwich for miles around or fried eggs on toast. They do roasts every day, a corking lamb and barley stew and the sort of puddings - steamed syrup sponge with custard, orange jelly with ice cream - that will make even the most hard-hearted souls go all misty eyed. And it won't break the bank. Most starters are around £5, and few mains break the £10 barrier.

'We all love good food,' says Dominic Lake, one of the three 30-something partners in Canteen, and the man who handles the business side. 'But individually we all felt it was very hard to get something that was of a high quality at a reasonable price on the high street.' Patrick Clayton-Malone, the resident expert on branding and marketing, agrees. 'We found it genuinely frustrating. We felt there was a market for something better.' Enter chef Cass Titcombe, who had known Patrick since their days of growing up around Bath as teenagers

Cass cut his teeth in West Country restaurants before moving to London where he headed up the kitchens in fashionista hang-outs like Daphne's and the Collection. He admits now that the food there was not exactly his sort of thing, but running the show did present him with the opportunity to start looking at producers and suppliers. 'As a kid we lived in Wales where my parents had a smallholding,' he says. 'We produced everything, grew all our own vegetables, raised our own livestock.' Patrick had a similar upbringing and an interest in ingredients came naturally to them both.

Later Cass moved to Brighton where he ran the kitchen at the Real Eating Company, which was closer to what would eventually become Canteen. 'To be honest the menu here is one I've had in my head for years,' Cass says. 'Once Dominic and Patrick and I had started working on the idea, they would come down to Brighton once a week and I'd cook dishes for them to try.'

The result is the flexible, all-day menu they have now, which they call Modern British. 'But we only called it that so we couldn't be caught out if we wandered off geographically a little,' Patrick says. Cass agrees. 'We are just British. The main thing is we don't do too much to the ingredients. We buy good stuff and serve it well.' And the customers seem to like it, with more than 2,500 of them - you! - visiting every week. 'On Sundays alone we do 500 covers,' says Cass. 'It never stops.' So what would he describe as the classic Canteen dish? 'It has to be the pie and mash. It's quick, it's cheap at £9 for a fully plated meal, and it changes according to what's best.' One day it might be steak and kidney. The next mutton and vegetable, pork and cider or, for vegetarians, celeriac and mushroom.

After 16 months spent getting the essentials of this first branch absolutely right, the team is to open a second Canteen in the early summer. It will be located in the newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall complex on the Thames. Are they going to change anything? 'It will be double the size,' says Cass, 'But other than that it will be identical.' For its (growing) legions of fans, the ones who have now voted it our restaurant of the year, that is very good news indeed.

Canteen, 2 Crispin Place, London E1 (0845 686 1122)

Runner-up: Maze, London

Stunning contemporary restaurant in the Gordon Ramsay stable, housed in a rather anodyne hotel where talented head chef Jason Atherton offers a daily changing market menu, plus popular tapas-size dishes (from £3-11 each). Atherton was the first British chef to complete a stage at Spain's famous El Bull and his quixotic flavour combinations reflect this. The tasting menu features dishes like Duart salmon, pork belly with choucroute and smoked raisin reduction or a novel take on the B.L.T - bacon and onion cream, chilled lettuce velouté and a tomato gelée. Treat yourself by sitting at the Chef's Table right slap-bang in the middle of the frantic action in the basement kitchen for true gastronomic performance art. Those in less extravagant mood can nibble tapas while sitting at the impressively designed architectural-looking bar. Peruse the encyclopaedic wine list for some real gems, or the cocktail list is very impressive.

· 10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1 (020 7107 0000)

Best of the rest
From a cool white cube in Belfast, to a 16th-century Suffolk bistro and a Devon manor house.

Scotland

Langleys Restaurant
19 Station Road, Ellon, Aberdeenshire (01358 722269)

New venture in a Victorian gasworks, where drinks by an open fire in the snug are followed by determinedly Scottish food, including local pheasant stuffed with haggis parfait, colcannon and Arran mustard.

The Linen Room
53 St Michael Street, Dumfries (01387 255689)

Unimpressive on the outside - the Linen Room barely stands out from a dreary row of shopfronts - this unexpected newcomer to Dumfries delights all who visit. Russell Robertson's cooking is unusually ambitious, a talented youngster who dares play with such startling combinations as halibut with pak choi and tomato jelly. All Scotland is a-quiver at this new star.

Wales

The Crown at Whitebrook
Whitebrook, near Monmouth (01600 860254)

This rustic auberge has just won a much deserved Michelin star - get round there quick to sample exquisite Welsh lamb, sea bass with tomato jam, parsnip ice cream and other delicious flights of culinary imagination.

Northern Ireland

James St South
21 James Street South, Belfast (028 9043 4310)

Irresistibly cool - a big, white cube of a place with big, white plates of wonderfully pretty food - it is hardly surprising that this Belfast star is wowing locals. Smoked eel salad, barley risotto, beef with horseradish and apple pie with lavender anglaise - all the modern hits are here.

Yorkshire and Humberside

Anthony's Restaurant
19 Boar Lane, Leeds (0113 245 5922)

Smart basement venue that continues to garner praise from critics and punters alike. Amazing cooking by Anthony Flinn, that runs from pigeon on artichoke purée with a peanut and cocoa reduction to risotto of white onion, espresso and Parmesan air. Two of Anthony's siblings now help spread the load in Leeds - one at Flannels, one at a patisserie in Victoria Gate.

North west

The Lime Tree
8 Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury, Manchester (0161 445 1217)

A Manchester legend, The Lime Tree never rests on its laurels. The chef-proprietor's cooking has evolved from classic French to superb modern British, served in an unstuffy atmosphere, but with great emphasis on fine wines.

The London Carriage Works
Hope Street Hotel, 40 Hope Street, Liverpool, (0151 705 2222)

Fancy food in a fancy setting: this boutique hotel makes brilliant use of its industrial architecture to create a restaurant full of drama. Start with open raviolo of beetroot, maybe, followed by shin of veal with trotters, Swiss chard and foie gras cream. Lovely stuff - or try the brasserie in the interests of economy.

North east

Pipe and Glass Inn
West End, South Dalton, Beverley (01430 810246)

Since James MacKenzie (formerly head chef of the Star at Harome) and his wife Kate took over this 17th-century gatehouse to Dalton Park last year, the food has been showered with praise. From pub grub classics, to oxtail with marjoram mash, or stewed rhubarb with burnt ginger cream, visitors to Yorkshire's East Riding are in for a treat.

Midlands

Hibiscus
17 Corve Street, Ludlow, Shropshire (01584 872325)

The perfection of the dining experience at Hibiscus is enough to make many diners shed tears of joy. Claude Bosi continues to excel himself in the heart of England, wooing his guests with classy ingredients, artful presentation and, above all, astonishing flavour combinations. The ambience is as stylish as the food is elaborate.

East Anglia

Midsummer Common
Cambridge, CB4 1HA (01223 369299)

French Mediterranean is the alleged cooking style at this town's most famous eatery, but most of us would be happy to eat a boiled egg cooked by Daniel Clifford, let alone savour a scallop on celeriac and truffle purée followed by lobster and Provencal vegetables. Plus an enchanting location next to the River Cam.

Trinity Bistro
The Crown and Castle, Orford, Woodbridge, Suffolk (01394 450205)

Practically a living picture postcard, this 16th-century hotel with Norman keep, delightful gardens and big Suffolk skies does a wonderful job of feeding discerning travellers in its bistro. Local pheasant with lentil ragout and bitter chocolate mousse typify winter offerings; and the cooking style is all written down in co-proprietor Ruth Watson's recipe books.

South west

Combe House
Gittisham, Devon (01404 540 400)

Drive through the sweeping parkland up the mile-long approach to one of the most beautiful houses in the country that fortunately has food to match its surroundings. Local chef Hadleigh Barrett has a penchant for nose- to-tail eating as shown in his precisely and locally sourced fish, beef and lamb-based menu. Many of the vegetables and fruit are grown on the house's 3,500 acre estate.Huge log fires in winter, wonderful walks and a friendly, non-stuffy atmosphere.

Horn of Plenty
Gulworthy, Tavistock, Devon (01822 832528)

Hilltop country house hotel with commanding views over the Tamar Valley, this breathtaking venue lifts the spirits as soon as you see it. The food isn't half bad either; Peter Gorton's cooking has already won many awards, yet he still offers the great bargain of 'Pot Luck Mondays' when dinner costs just £25. Lovely relaxed atmosphere.

South east

Terre a Terre
71 East Street, Brighton (01273 729051)

Brighton's just the spot for this triumphantly vegetarian, throw-away-the cookbooks-and-start-again restaurant. Taste sensations usually surprise ; staff are jolly and committed; children are catered for and the standard of cuisine is truly excellent.

Due South
139 Kings Road Arches, Brighton (01273 821218)

A bracing walk along the front brings you to this foodie haven, where the plain wooden furniture faces views out to sea. The food is brilliantly simple: spicy broth, pan-fried chicken with walnuts and bacon and cinnamon pannacotta. Wholesome and welcoming.

London

Locanda Locatelli
8 Seymour Street, W1 (020 7935 9088)

A softly-lit enclave inside the Churchill Inter-Continental hotel, it showcases the best Italian cooking in simple assemblies of perfect ingredients, cooked with flair rather than outlandish creativity.

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe
60 Baker Street, W1 (020 7935 4007)

This is comfort food at its very best, but dressed up poshly so you feel like a grown up eating it. Favourites include breast of Gressingham duck with Savoy cabbage, a rather special steak tartare, and buttermilk pannacotta with rhubarb.