Locale Balham is one of a chain of five Italian restaurants around London, the Balham restaurant, on the corner of Balham High Road and Ritherdon Road has a modern but comfortable feel with well spaced tables. It is a good local restaurant, as the name suggests.

Some critics have had a pop at Caleya’s decoration and style, but I rather like it. Bright and modern and with chairs that boast extra wide seats, presumably for extra wide bums, it’s friendly and cheerful but is also a tale of bi-polar cooking. Starters and desserts of true genius, mains of less than perfection.

On the drive to Borde Hill gardens, through tree-branch tunnels, I spied the aftermath of a great many game birds, spread on tarmac. Morbidly, I found the sight mildly appetising. Rather than irrational bloodlust, I interpreted this as impatience to sample the speciality at destination, ‘Jeremy’s’, a family-run restaurant known for its game…

Just a five minute walk from Moorgate station, Mehek nestles under the overhanging office buildings just short of where London Wall meets Moorgate. A modern, but comfortable and popular Indian restaurant..

You will find Stanza on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Greek Street, opposite the fire station. Set in the heart of buzzy theatreland, the restaurant has a lot to offer.

The suffix Canteen never boded well for meal prospects: School Canteen, Staff Canteen, Office Canteen, you knew it meant grisly grey dishes of indeterminate meat served by a woman in a tabard, probably with a cigarette dangling from her lips. In this Canteen,they could do with a bit of a tighten up in the kitchen, particularly by whoever is on the chip station, but they have the right work ethic.

Douglas Blyde last saw Edinburgh’s ‘Ondine’ restaurant as a building site. Two months on, he returns to test-dine the finished product and is enthusiastic about this glamorous seafood restaurant and what is arguably ‘Edinburgh’s opening of the year’.

Some people are seduced by Selfridges, others bang on about Borough Market, but for me there is only the corner shop in Knightsbridge when it comes to food heaven on earth. Right now the focus is on Spain both in the Food Hall and in the restaurant.

Dating back to the 7^th century, this beautiful and historic country house once welcomed a very special guest in the shape of Queen Elizabeth I in 1575 and her suite has now been named the ‘1575” to commemorate the visit. More recently Sabin Ghayour went to dine. No news on the Gahyour suite just yet, though

Situated on the edge of Ambleside village, Rothay Manor is a long-established hotel and restaurant. There was a delightful quaintness about eating there and its somewhat theatrical experience deserves to be tried.