LONDON

Honey & Co
Also winner of Best Newcomer, and clearly as loved by the public as it is by restaurant critics.
25a Warren St, W1T 5LZ; 020 7388 6175; honeyandco.co.uk

The Ledbury
Ranked 13 in the world and consistently one of the best in the capital.
127 Ledbury Rd, W11 2AQ; 020 7792 9090; theledbury.com

Ottolenghi
Expect colourful salads and beautiful cakes. Pick up a copy of this year's winner of Best Cookbook, Jerusalem, while you're there.
63 Ledbury Rd, W11 2AD; 020 7727 1121; ottolenghi.co.uk

Pollen Street Social
Jason Atherton opened three restaurants in London this year but this remains his HQ and the centre of his rapidly expanding global empire.
8-10 Pollen St, W1S 1NQ; 020 7290 7600; pollenstreetsocial.com

EAST

The Hole in the Wall
Exemplary gastropub run by former MasterChef finalist Alex Rushmer.
Primrose Farm Rd, Little Wilbraham, Cambridge, CB21 5JY; 01223 812282; holeinthewallcambridge.com

The Mistley Thorn
18th-century coaching house overlooking the river Stour, with seafood sourced largely from Mersea Island.
High St, Mistley, Manningtree, Essex, CO11 1HD; 01206 392821; mistleythorn.co.uk

Midsummer House
The only restaurant with two Michelin stars in East Anglia, run by chef Daniel Clifford.
Midsummer Common, Cambridge CB4 1HA; 01223 369299; midsummerhouse.co.uk

The Castle Inn
Plenty of local fare – fava beans from south Norfolk and Baron Bigod brie.
35 Earsham St, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1AF; 01986 892283; thecastleinn.net

WALES

The Hardwick
Michel Roux Jr says this is his favourite restaurant in Wales, with chef Steven Terry a graduate of Le Gavroche.
Old Raglan Road, Abergavenny, NP7 9AA; 01873 854220; thehardwick.co.uk

Y Polyn
Described by Jay Rayner as "a simple country restaurant set up by people with good taste who know what's nice to eat".
Capel Dewi, Carmarthen, SA32 7LH; 01267 290000; ypolynrestaurant.co.uk

The Potted Pig
Regularly changing, modern British menu mixed with French classics and New York-style grill. Try the potted pig with pickles.
27 High St, Cardiff, CF10 1PU; 029 2022 4817; thepottedpig.com

Purple Poppadom
Cardiff Indian that specialises in fish dishes. The ocean tasting menu has a course each from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with beer pairings for each.
185a Cowbridge Rd E, Canton, Cardiff CF11 9AJ; 029 2022 0026; purplepoppadom.com

MIDLANDS

Restaurant Sat Bains
One of Britain's best. Peek behind the scenes via the "kitchen workshop" experience.
Lenton Ln, Nottingham, NG7 2SA; 0115 986 6566; restaurantsatbains.com

Memsaab
Three times a runner-up here: fine dining that emphasises Punjabi and Pakistani cooking.
12-14 Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, NG1 6HS; 0115 957 0009; mem-saab.co.uk

Iberico World Tapas
Superior tapas including scallop with chorizo jam and duck with manzanilla sherry.
The Shire Hall, High Pavement, Lace Market, Nottingham, NG1 1HN ; 0115 941 0410; ibericotapas.com

World Service
Eclectic fine dining mixing modern British food with influences from around the world, served in a 17th-century building.
Newdigate House, Castle Gate, Nottingham, NG1 6AF; 0115 847 5587; worldservicerestaurant.com

NORTH

The Northern Quarter
Mediterranean-inspired dishes in Manchester. Think catch of the day with puy lentil stew and fried whitebait with squid.
108 High Street, Manchester, M4 1HQ; 0161 832 7115; tnq.co.uk

Silversmith's
Provenance is important, and the outstanding food comes at good prices.
111 Arundel St, Sheffield S1 2NT; 0114 270 6160; silversmiths-restaurant.com

Six at Baltic
Brasserie staples and more adventurous dishes, such as soy and treacle-cured salmon.
The Baltic Centre, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead NE8 3BA; 0191 440 4948; sixbaltic.com

The Waiting Room
Innovative vegetarian restaurant promising not to let the healthy eclipse the delicious. Our pick? Wild mushrooms, spinach and soft poached egg gallette with buckwheat pancake.
9 Station Rd, Stockton-on-Tees TS16 0BU; 01642 780465; the-waiting-room.co.uk

NORTHERN IRELAND

James Street South
French style and Irish substance at this dining room, where woodpigeon comes from a local estate and lamb is sourced from the Mourne mountains.
21 James St South, Belfast BT2 7GA; 028 9043 4310; jamesstreetsouth.co.uk

Mourne Seafood Co
Sourced from their own shellfish beds in Ballyedmond, the oysters, mussels and cockles are hard to beat.
34-36 Bank St, Belfast, BT1 1HL; 028 9024 8544;
mourneseafood.com

Ox
Overlooking the river Lagan: smart cooking with local produce.
1 Oxford St, Belfast, BT1 3LA; 028 9031 4121; oxbelfast.com

The Bay Tree
Simple, well-executed cooking at a good price.
118 High St, Holywood, BT18 9HW; 028 9042 1419; baytreeholywood.co.uk

SCOTLAND

The Gardener's Cottage
The two chefs trained at The Kitchin and The Ledbury. Seasonal menus change daily in this communal dining space.
1, Royal Terrace Gardens, London Rd, Edinburgh, EH7 5DX; 0131 558 1221; thegardenerscottage.co

Moonfish cafe
Christian Recomio's fish-focused menu emphasises simplicity and value – four courses for under £40.
8 Correction Wynd, Aberdeen, AB10 1HP; 01224 644166;
moonfishcafe.co.uk

The Kitchin
Tom Kitchin's flagship restaurant champions an ethos of "from nature to plate" and marries his French training with the best Scottish produce.
78 Commercial St, Edinburgh, EH6 6LX; 0131 555 1755; thekitchin.com

Restaurant Mark Greenaway, Edinburgh
New refurbished and complete with a wine vault, Mark Greenaway offers modern takes on traditional dishes like sirloin steak (but with bone marrow crumble).
69 North Castle St, Edinburgh, EH2 3LJ; 0131 226 1155; markgreenaway.com

SOUTH

Terre a Terre
A consistently high scorer in these awards, Terre a Terre has been at the forefront of vegetarian cooking in Britain for 20 years.
71 East St, Brighton, BN1 1HQ; 01273 729051; terreaterre.co.uk

Drake's
Michelin-starred for the ninth year, Drakes is among the best restaurants in Surrey.
The Clock House, High St, Ripley, GU23 6AQ; 01483 224777; drakesrestaurant.co.uk

The Thatch
Also nominated in the best Sunday lunch category, but with a menu strong enough to warrant a visit throughout the rest of the week.
29-30 High St, Thame OX9 2AA; 01844 214340; thethatchthame.co.uk

The Coal Shed
This Brighton favourite has a simple concept: grilled meat and fish done just right.
8 Boyce's St, Brighton, BN1 1AN; 01273 322998; coalshed-restaurant.co.uk

WEST

Lido
Poolside Bristol restaurant with a Mediterranean and Moorish-inspired menu. With packages for swimming and dining.
Oakfield Pl, Bristol, BS8 2BJ; 0117 933 9530; lidobristol.com

Ethicurean, Wrington
Winner of our Best Ethical Restaurant in 2011, clever cooking with ingredients from their walled kitchen garden is the key here.
Long Lane, Wrington, North Somerset BS40 5SA; 01934 863713; theethicurean.com

The Seahorse
Last year's overall winner and one of the best places in Britain to eat seafood.
5 South Embankment, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH; 01803 835147; seahorserestaurant.co.uk

Bell's Diner
Recently under new management, this old favourite has boho decor, a great wine list and cleverly chosen specials.
1-3 York Rd, Bristol, BS6 5QB; 0117 924 0357; bellsdiner.com