Best cuisine now outside the capital

Some of the best and most imaginative cooking in Britain is now found in restaurants outside London, according to the latest edition of The Good Food Guide.

It lists 10 restaurants awarded eight marks out of 10, six of which are in the provinces.

Three received nine marks. They are The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire; Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire; and Winteringham Fields, Winteringham, north Lincolnshire.

However, chef Gordon Ramsay helped ensure that London remains top. The Chelsea restaurant which bears his name was named UK Restaurant of the Year. It was also the only one to get a full 10 marks for its cooking.

London establishments given eight marks are The Capital, Pied-a-Terre, Square and Tom Aikens.

The six in the regions are Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham; Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon; Hibiscus, Ludlow, Shropshire; Merchant House, also in Ludlow; Vineyard at Stockcross, Berkshire; and the Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire.

Andrew Turvil, editor of The Good Food Guide 2005, said: "The capital is not about to lose its position at the culinary vanguard, but it is great to see such good things happening all over the country, sometimes in unexpected locations.

"Anybody who thinks London is the be all and end all needs to expand their horizons."

Three restaurants in Scotland were given seven marks for their cooking and two in Wales.