Gidleigh Park, Chagford, restaurant review I don't want to gush; I'm going to hold back the compliments until the next wonderful thing comes along. Ah yes, here it is, on my plate: a warm pigeon salad, with apple, hazelnuts and roasted foie gras, the meat quite beautiful, with its ruby-red insides and rich, brown exterior. The pigeon tasted as though it had been hand-reared to prevent its messing up its muscle-fat ratio with any heavy lifting. Nutritionists would, I think, laugh at the wishful use of the word 'salad', but that's my only criticism, and even that I don't really mean. My Cornish salt cod gave me the same feeling, that it had been hand-reared by one passionate cod-enthusiast, then personally salted by the owner of the country's most mellow salt mine. The flesh was so silky, its flavour so rounded. This arrived with chorizo and samphire, both glorious examples of their ilk. C had Dartmoor lamb (we'd seen them frolicking on our way down; my jury is out on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing) with boulangère potatoes and confit shoulder, fennel purée and an olivey jus; there were some chopped spring vegetables along the side of the plate in an avenue of gravy. He said he'd never seen plates with such a directional aspect, and it appealed to the geologist in him. I said that was the most pretentious thing he'd ever said in our entire relationship. He replied, 'But it's all so delicious!' as though that would bring out the poet in anyone. I finished with the plate of rhubarb, comprising a light-as-air mousse, a teeny dish the size of a Petri dish (I'm not complaining; it was stylish) of old-fashioned crumble, and some sorbet, which was the most intense of the fruity experiences. C had the cheeses (£10 supplement - and, not to be vulgar, do you see what I mean about the pricing? In no normal restaurant would a plate of cheese warrant a £10 supplement on top of a £110 prix fixe). They were mainly English, and all perfect. The whole thing was hugely, operatically transfixing. Which is a good thing, since you'd have to be a magnate to go very often. Seven Park Place 7-8 Park Place, London SW1 (020 7316 1615) It's pattern à go-go in William Drabble's elaborately decorated dining-room, and in the kitchen, too, presentation is key. Sliced lamb saddle arrives, delicately perched, on a set wild-garlic custard dotted with rosemary jus (£61 for three courses) The Park 98 Kimbolton Road, Bedford (01234 273929) With its charming diner-style booths, seasider pale-wood floors and posh farmhouse furniture, this gastropub ticks all our boxes for atmosphere. The food? Think soused herring with saffron oil (£6.50), and bubble-and-squeak fishcakes with sorrel cream (£13) Restaurant Coworth Park Coworth Park, Ascot, Berkshire (01344 876600) Views across the lawns, which form part of the 240-acre grounds, are one highlight of a visit to Coworth's grandest restaurant. The 'best of British' menu also impresses with its roast Middle White pork with black-pudding purée (£40 for three courses)