LONDON
Indian Zing
Smart but not overly expensive restaurant run by Manoj Vasaikar who has also cooked at Chutney Mary.
236 King Street W6 0RF; 020 8748 5959; indianzing.co.uk
Brula
Friendly French-style brasserie serving simple traditional dishes. Lunchtime starters are £5 and mains £10.
43 Crown Road TW1 3EJ; 020 8892 0602; brula.co.uk
Bocca di Lupo
Brilliant Italian that's becoming a Soho institution. Not cheap, but worth every penny.
12 Archer Street W1D 7BB; 020 7734 2223; boccadilupo.com
The Ledbury
Brett Graham has really made a name for himself here, with his exciting and inventive food. Chic but warm and relaxed.
127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill W11 2AQ; 020 7792 9090; theledbury.com
SOUTH
Terre à Terre Brighton
Excellent vegetarian restaurant which wins accolade after accolade for not serving anything you'd normally see at a vegetarian restaurant.
71 East Street, East Sussex BN1 1HQ; 01273 729051; terreaterre.co.uk
The Seahorse Dartmouth
Mitch Tonks's seafood restaurant uses lots of local produce, including unusual catch, such as locally caught cuttlefish.
5 South Embankment, TQ6 9BH; 01803 835 147; seahorserestaurant.co.uk
The Olive Shed Bristol
Waterside restaurant that serves a large selection of tapas-style dishes, as well as bigger portions and platters – think crayfish and crab pate or harissa-marinated sardines.
Floating Harbour, Princes Wharf BS1 4RN; 0117 929 1960; theoliveshed.com
Restaurant 27 Portsmouth
Delicious, modern French food – try the 30-hour belly of pork and cep mousseline.
Burgoyne Road, off South Parade, opposite the Pyramids Centre, PO5 2JF; 023 9287 6272; restaurant27.com
NORTH
Northcote Manor Blackburn
Chef Nigel Haworth makes great use of wild and local ingredients in this manor building, all done with a nod to his Lancashire roots.
Northcote Road, Langho, Lancs BB6 8BE; 01254 240 555; northcote.com
Café No 8 York
With the emphasis on using Yorkshire produce, this is the place to come for Masham sausages, Ryedale ice cream and local beers, as well as good modern-European cooking.
8 Gillygate YO31 7EQ; 01904 653 074; cafeno8.co.uk
MIDLANDS
Sat Bains Nottingham
Chef of OFM's best restaurant winner in 2008, Sat Bains continues to go from strength to strength with his fabulous mind-bending food. Tasting menus start at £55.
Lenton Lane NG7 2SA; 0115 986 6566; restaurantsatbains.com
Entropy Leicester
The menu is huge, but everything on it is done well. It changes daily, so could contain anything from smoked eel, potato and horseradish salad to grilled ox heart with chard.
42 Hinckley Road LE3 0RB; 0116 225 9650; entropylife.com
The Bluebell Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire
A 500-year-old freehouse serving a surprisingly successful Anglo-Italian menu, with vegetables from the owner's allotment.
93 High Street B95 5AT; 01564 793 049; bluebellhenley.co.uk
WALES
The Walnut Tree Inn Abergavenny
Shaun Hill, formerly of the much-mourned Merchant House in Ludlow, has completely reinvigorated the Walnut Tree Inn, which after an illustrious history had fallen on hard times. It's a deceptively simple-looking place serving brilliant food.
Llanddewi Skirrid, Monmouthshire NP7 8AW; 01873 852 797; thewalnuttreeinn.com
Tyddyn Llan Llandrillo
Lovely fine-dining restaurant (where you can also stay), run by a husband and wife team, using heaps of local ingredients and who offer to make a special menu up for vegetarians if you give them warning.
Nr Corwen, Denbighshire LL21 0ST; 01490 440 264; tyddynllan.co.uk
The Hardwick Abergavenny
Chef Stephen Terry has worked for some great chefs (Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux Jnr) and some great chefs have worked for him (Jason Atherton, Mark Sargeant, Dan Lepard), so don't be fooled by the country pub looks; this is seriously good stuff.
Old Raglan Road, Monmouthshire NP7 9AA; 01873 854220; thehardwick.co.uk
SCOTLAND
Cucina at Hotel Missoni Edinburgh
Unsurprisingly swish Italian (given the Missoni family's fashion credentials), this is a very good-looking restaurant where the food could come second to style, but doesn't. Open all day, should you fancy a glamorous breakfast
1 George IV Bridge, EH1 1AD; 0131 240 1666; hotelmissoni.com
Martin Wishart Edinburgh
Chef Martin Wishart won Edinburgh's first Michelin star with his modern French cooking in 2001, and continues to be one of the best restaurants in Scotland.
54 The Shore, Leith EH6 6RA; 0131 553 3557; martin-wishart.co.uk
NORTHERN IRELAND
Deanes Belfast
This Michelin-starred restaurant is perfect for a celebratory meal.
36-40 Howard Street BT1 6PF; 028 9033 1134; michaeldeane.co.uk
Mourne Seafood Belfast
This small group of easygoing seafood restaurants is on a mission to encourage us to eat less well-known species such as ling, and it's also one of the very few outfits to source seafood from its very own shellfish beds.
34-36 Bank Street BT1 1HL, 028 9024 8544; Main Street, Dundrum BT33 0LU, 028 4375 1377; 107 Central Promenade, Newcastle, Co Down BT33 0LU, 028 4372 6401, mourneseafood.com
