malcolmwilliamson

Thanks a lot for these suggestions. My own research has unearthed the Crab House Cafe as another possibility. H F-W had it as one of his top 5 seafood eateries earlier in the year : http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...1823502,00.html Jay Rayner recommended it in the OFM in July '05 (no review though) and it's one of the Independent's restaurants of the year (John Walsh's choice) in today's paper http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_an...icle2008165.ece. Has anyone knowledge of it? It seems idyllically situated on the water's edge near the causeway to Portland.

I will have 2 hours to kill at lunchtime in Weymouth on a weekday early in the New Year. A search of the town on here yields no hits. Its a sizeable place next the sea so surely must have somewhere of repute. Does anyone have suggestions for a decent pub or light restaurant lunch?

I'd suggest that you consider a meal at Lewtrenchard Manor. Their food is locally sourced where possible, including veg and herbs from their own walled garden. Their wine list is compiled by a MW. Wine and fixed price menus only offer very good QPR, especially at lunchtime (£12/£18 for 2/3 courses). It scores 6 in the GFG. The Jacobean building that houses the wood panelled retaurant along with an idylic rural location add to the experience. The only thing missing in late November will probably be post-lunch/pre-dinner croquet on the lawn.

Time Out's recogntion of Inside has my support on the strength of their fixed price lunch menu enjoyed on Tuesday this week. Simple fare very well executed at good QPR.

You never did give us your Hertfordshire reccomendations Helen. Any chance you might post them before they're seriously out dated? I admit to a vested interest. I live in the county.

I offer more support for Auberge du Cedre. I spent an enjoyable couple of evenings there whilst cycling through the region in late October a couple of years ago. Wonderful hospitality, fine simple food, excellent locally sourced wines,cheap but adequate accomodation.

On the evidence of one meal there eaten about 4 years ago a definite NO.

.Don't you mean colours of potato? A bit like a supermarket stocking one red and one white wine.

Thanks to everyone above for your inside information and reccos. We are booked into Lewtrenchard Manor for lunch on July 28th. I must remember to report back on here.

I will be visting Cornwall for a week with the family (all adults) in late July staying on the edge of Bodmin Moor not far from Liskeard. I've done a search on here for recommended restaurants and haven't found much beyond Margot's and Stein's establishments in Padstow. Has anyone visited the county recently and found a good place to eat, preferably in the eastern half of the county, maybe just over the border into Devon? In view of the fact this will be in peak holiday season is everywhere likely to be a rip off and/or fast food? I ask this having watched Channel 4s series on Burton-Race's return from France where all standards seemed to be thrown out of the kitchen window come Summer in order to fleece the tourists and ensure the survival of the restaurant. I'd far rather spend time and money preparing decent meals at our farmhouse if this is the case. Apart from locally, which includes London, most of my eating out has been in France, predominately in country regions.

I caught a rerun of Rick Stein's canal boat series in SW France yesterday and was reminded of my love for this part of the world and its regional dish. Restaurant wise the best cassoulet I've discovered in the UK is at the Comptoir Gascon, Charterhouse St, EC1 ( appropriately opposite Smithfield's Market).Its run by the same chef as the more upmarket Michelin starred Club Gascon. They've recently given over part of their deli. to a rustic restaurant and charge £12 for the dish.Its received high praise from a number of reviewers including Terry Durack of the Indy newspaper. Comptoir Gascon sell it as a takeaway for homecooking preserved in jars. (I was surprised to learn from Rick Stein that the Hotel de France in Castelnaudry, one of a number claiming the authentic recipe, prepares the dish in bulk and bottles it for use in its restaurant.) Do other fans of cassoulet have any reccos of other UK sources of cassoulet (restaurant and jars for home consumption) they would recommend that I try?

The web address for Neal's Yard was slightly misspelt in the previous post. The correct version is:

On the ratebeer website the weihenstephaner scores the highest ( see http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/weihenstephan...weissbier/1156/ for a description plus comments), although all the others also score highly.

How many of these have you tried? What did they taste like? World's most dangerous drinks