Quirinale London

White linen, pink roses, scent of lilies, a light, spring-like interior, cream banquettes and tawny fawn furnishings within an understated exterior. And the service is unobtrusive and discreet, perfect for MPs with private lives and open wallets.

Iberica Expressions – 16 pounds for a luxury tapas lunch

We try Iberica’s Expressions menu at £16 – a mini “desgustacion” menu of pinchos that is served only between 12-3 pm Monday-Saturday, highlights this restaurant’s cutting edge approach to tapas Served at the bar, it’s made up of eight hot and cold pinchos smartly presented on a piece of slate within 10-15 minutes of being ordered. The menu is served with a glass of ice cold Tio Pepe – nice.

Hardy’s Brasserie and Wine Bar

Occupying the corner plot of Dorset Street and Manchester Street in Marylebone, Hardy’s is an establishment that boasts some character: there is external seating, and you enter through the main bar area which is both substantial and well set out. It is a wine bar/brasserie with some good dishes on offer, it’s worth trying.

Kitchen studies. You may begin now.

The Kitchen in Parson’s Green is preparing the nation’s youth to cook. With his first year at university coming up faster than last night’s kebab, Harry Farmer volunteered to put on chef’s whites for us and report back as he trialled a few of the courses on offer while trying to keep his typing fingers out the way of the chopper.

John Torode’s Chicken and other birds

This is Torode’s partner book to ‘Beef’ and a whole lot healthier. It’s actually titled ‘.. and other birds’ because, quite frankly, you’d be hard pushed to fill an entire book just on chickens. So pheasants, grouse, woodcock, snipe and other birds flap onto the pages, plus of course the rather more available duck.