The Old Thatch, Adstock, Buckinghamshire

The Old Thatch in Adstock, Buckinghamshire ,is a bit of a celebrity in its patch – as one local told me, ” it’s one of a small handful of places worth going to round here.” So what’s made this seriously tucked-away village pub survive where others have been converted into super-homes?

Tossed Xmas Salad – stuff the turkey!

‘You don’t make friends with salad, Lisa!’ Homer Simpson once famously pointed out to his daughter, but it seems for once that the Sage of Springfield may have been wrong. Tossed has not only made friends with its salads, it’s made itself into a major market force.In one corner of the Baker Street store is an Astroturf field with picnic tables to eat at. By 1pm queues are forming and the place is getting rammed, meanwhile over in our part of the field I am peering in at my Xmas salad.

Laya’lina, Knightsbridge

Laya’Lina is not budget-friendly by any means… I balk at the £5.95 price tag of a portion of chips, as not even Gordon Ramsay charges that much for fried potatoes! The presence of chicken curry and coconut prawn soup on the menu baffle me greatly, I may not be Lebanese, but I think it’s safe to say that neither are these dishes.