A city with a big heart, from home made chocolate snowballs at The University Cafe (a Glaswegian institution that hasn’t changed since it opened in 1918) on Byres Road, a stroll round the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, lunch in the Merchant City, a peruse down the ‘style mile’ in the afternoon and a candle lit dinner at night. This is a city you can enjoy being lost in. But, ultimately, it’s the people that make Glasgow - even in the rain they have a smile for everyone. I would absolutely recommend No.1 Devonshire Gardens, an indulgent experience, where they will do their best to upgrade your room for free. My boyfriend doesn’t believe in Valentines Day - he says I hoodwinked him into it, but I know this city will always hold a special place in our hearts - may even move there one day.

Hotel

www.hotelduvin.com/hotels/glasgow/glasgow.aspx

Restaurant

www.guysrestaurant.co.uk/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The word 'gastropub' is so overused these days but this establishment certainly deserves that tag.
Have been here many times before and as usual it did not disappoint. Good food, friendly service and great value. There is a wide choice on the menu (and on specials board).
My wife had lentil soup as well as mackerel pate with oatcakes while I had the homemade burger. Portion sizes were big and together with two drinks only set us back £22.
This place never seems to be in various restaurant listing publications but it is well known to people from the Leith area as a place to be treasured.
Kitchen open 10 am - 10pm.

44 Queen Charlotte street, EH6 7EX Edinburgh
+44(0)131 554 1979
www.facebook.com/thecompassleith
Google map: bit.ly/z5Zxmi

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Bath is my favourite British city to visit, especially in the snow. It is small enough to walk round; beautiful when the winter sun glints off the buildings; there are plenty of independent, quirky shops for loitering; and my treat veggie restaurant, Demuths, for dinner.
Demuths has its own cookery school and I treated myself to their Edible Gifts Workshop. This was the perfect combination of making it yourself and eating as you make!. We made dark chocolate, rum-truffles; white chocolate and pistachio snowflakes; then chocolate coated peppermint creams & caramelized hazelnuts. We learned to create perfect cantuccini and mince pies; a delicious chilli and persimmon jam plus an infused cranberry gin that looked lovely and tasted divine. What I don’t eat when I make it at home will be amazing homemade presents.
To sate my Christmas fetish, I also joined Demuths Christmas Cookery Course to get more imaginative with that standard and somewhat unexciting dinner. Brace yourselves parents and in-laws. We created a centre piece Moroccan style bastilla, to go with saffron roasted parsnips and griddled squash and fennel, followed by an over the top Dark Chocolate and Chestnut Roule. And we will start with that cranberry gin I have just decided not to give away this year.
It is in a listed Georgian building with gloriously distracting views of the Abbey from back windows.

www.vegetariancookeryschool.com
6 Terrace Walk, Bath, BA1 1LN
+44(0)1225427938
Google map: bit.ly/w3V80q

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Good location for food and drink. The menu while on the face of it looks like a typical bar menu is inventive. You'll find things like rabbit burgers and pheasant on the menu that you wouldn't normally find in a bar. The food is very much moving towards 'gastropub' territory.
On Saturday nights the bar is packed as they have live music. Even when it is quieter it is nice to sit down with a nice pint.
Family friendly.

www.noblesbarleith.co.uk/
44a Constitution street, Edinburgh EH6 6RS
+44(0)131 629 7215
Google map: bit.ly/z8TeR1

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This is a lovely pub, just out of the way of all the tourists. The staff are great, the food is terrific and the price very good indeed.

www.stagsheadinnexmoor.co.uk/
10 West Street, Dunster, Exmoor, TA24 6SN +44(0)1643 821229
Google map: bit.ly/v1GYCL

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Superb restaurant in the centre of Matlock by the river.
We have dined here twice and have never failed to be impressed by the quality of the locally sourced menu, the excellent service, the wine list and the restaurant's intimacy.

www.stones-restaurant.co.uk/
1 Dale Road Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3LT
+44(0)1629 56061
Google map: bit.ly/su2Hp2

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Cosmopolitan? Yes. Funky? Yes. Atmospheric? Definitely.
Tucked under the Victorian Arches, on Brighton beach, the ‘Fortune of War’ bar is the place to go.
Hip at any time – but give it a whirl on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, and you will not regret it.
Buy a good hot mulled wine or two to get into the festive spirit and then walk down to Madeira Drive to watch Brighton’s annual ‘Burning the Clocks’. Amazing and unique, paper and willow lanterns, in all shapes and sizes, are carried in a parade through the city, illuminating the spectators, and then burnt on the beach. Tradition has it that all the hopes and dreams of the lantern makers are passed into the fire.
Followed by a great firework display over the sea, the festive mood has been set, so back inside for another mulled wine or two. Happy Christmas!

157 Kings Road Arches
Brighton and Hove BN1 1NB
+44(0)1273 205065
Google map: bit.ly/vEzlSw

Burning the Clocks
www.visitbrighton.com/whats-on/burning-the-clocks-p372371

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Alex sources spices, chocolate, garlic and olives mostly from the Mediterranean; what he doesn't know about which hillside which olive came from isn't worth knowing. His stall is stunning, the colours rich and the smells irresistible. Pinch yourself - you're in a Pennine town - but take home Spanish saffron, Tuscan olive oil, figs, pasta and chorizo. All this, and he's a real gent.

Brook Street, Todmorden OL14 5AJ
+44(0)1706 819 731
Google map: bit.ly/sGDJXM

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

It's Staffordshire's last surviving front-room oatcake shop. They're cheap and tasty and made to order.

www.oatcakes.org/
62 Waterloo Street, Stoke-On-Trent, ST1 3PW
+44(0)1782 261883
Google map: bit.ly/rSaMnu

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

I’m surprised this café hasn’t been reviewed before. My daughter had mentioned this place to me several times but I didn’t think I wanted to eat there because of its location on Westgate Road among the motor bike shops.
It’s a small café selling authentic Persian food with a special Persian dish of the day, including minced lamb skewered kebabs, saffron marinated chicken with rice and flatbread everything made fresh that day.
This is also the place for a big Sunday cooked breakfast (under £5) to cure hangovers, popular with those staying local for the weekend. Couples and families take over on a Sunday afternoon.
On my first visit I ate aubergine dip, which is to die for (you could taste the smoked aubergine and garlic). I could have eaten a whole plateful with flatbread - the flatbread is made to order and takes a couple of moments to cook. Then I had the special of the day, salmon in a green herb sauce with rice, mint and coriander salad.
My daughter ate mixed meats, saffron chicken on the bone, lamb chops and lamb kebab with rice and endless cups of Persian tea. Cost was £15 for both of us, bargain. (I’m working my way through the menu and have never been disappointed.)
It’s a café so don’t expect linen table cloths, the staff were friendly, the food tasted delicious, they explained the dishes are authentic and not adapted to the western palate and for that reason I love it.

233 Westagate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne
+44(0)191 232 0276
Google map: bit.ly/ttOngJ

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Right in the heart of the shopping district, the ‘Place to Eat’ at John Lewis in the St James Centre, is a great place for a bite to eat. It might be in the middle of a department store, but the food is good and the restaurant has stunning views out across the city if you can elbow your way to a window seat.

www.johnlewis.com
St James Centre, Edinburgh EH1 3SP
+44(0)131 556 9121
Google map: bit.ly/ux1yCS

* Rachel is our Been there local for Edinburgh. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/edinburgh-local-rachel-brown.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/RachelBrown

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

If you’re near to the Royal Mile you could try the little Turkish treasure Café Truva. The hot chocolate is to die for, and the place just charming. The danger is you’ll make yourself so comfortable you’ll forget all about the Christmas shopping.

www.cafetruva.com/
251-253 Canongate Eh8 8BQ
+44(0)131 556 9524
Google map: bit.ly/rM6LCm

* Rachel is our Been there local for Edinburgh. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/edinburgh-local-rachel-brown.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/RachelBrown

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Henderson’s Vegetarian Restaurant at 94 Hanover Street provides anything from light snacks to a full meal – and with its location just minutes away from the charming George Street, it’s a great place to rest your feet and tuck into a hearty healthy lunch. There is a gorgeous deli and shop too – the perfect place to stock up on gifts for foodie friends.

www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk/
94 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1DR
+44(0)131 225 2131
Google map: bit.ly/tPQ6vi

* Rachel is our Been there local for Edinburgh. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/edinburgh-local-rachel-brown.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/RachelBrown

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

It has the most incredibly friendly staff. They will help will all sorts of things, not just waitering, and the chips come in little silver buckets. They also know the area and can tell you where to windsurf, theatre etc. The food is inventive, healthy and cheap, and the range of coffees is superb! I've joined the local poetry group escapeshute who meet there once a month (the date changes but you can find it on their website) and I've just discovered you can book either the downstairs or upstairs room if you're having an event. I find that if I sit in the first few seats near the doorway people at neighbouring tables will strike up a conversation with me as a matter of course! Definitely a supportive environment for anyone new to Brighton. And they have free WiFi. Enjoy!

www.kobauk.com/
135 Western rd, Brighton, East Sussex BN3 4FF
+44(0)1273 720059
Google map: bit.ly/v7pxiv

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Its a lovely, real, no pretence English thatched village. With a proper village pub, a proper village shop and just an all round relaxed place. The Church House Inn is just amazing. We had their Church House Pudding. What a feast, and such lovely people. Anthony is a marvelous landlord. Go there and have your faith in Englishness restored.

www.stokeinteignhead-village.co.uk/
Google map: bit.ly/sCXnNp

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Pub with grub.
Sarah and her team create a homely atmosphere with log fire, generous portions of well cooked food and a good range of ales.
Well priced too!

63, Main Street, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria,
LA8 9LN
+44(0)1539821447
Google map: bit.ly/uwyz6r

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Cafe and bar with a stupendous view of the beach. Great tapas, hearty lunches and snacks, comprehensive wine list.
Five of us ate for £77 including three bottles of wine.

www.porthmeor-beach.co.uk/cafe/
Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1JZ
01736 793 366
Google map: bit.ly/slWw2m

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Community cafe with attached art studio, serving homemade, vegetarian and organic food. They also do a full Cornish breakfast for carnivores. Great atmosphere, lovely staff and reasonable prices, sort of place you could spend all day at. I loved it!

www.theappletreecafe.co.uk/contact-us.html
Trevescan, Sennen, Penzance, TR19 7AQ
+44(0)1736 872753
Google map: bit.ly/t4IMJR

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Free House, wide range of beers, with a very wholesome and home cooked menu. Has food theme nights eg curry night, choice of curries and drink for an inclusive price. Also has an extensive and reasonable menu. Well used by locals and tourists. The landlord comes from Bury and has a very dry Northern sense of humour. Loved the place.

Botallack, St. Just, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 7QG
+44 1736 788318
Google map: bit.ly/tSb7YY

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The First and Last might be the first or last pub in England, depending on which way you approach it. Fair sampling of locals and loads of tourists, football screen and pub food. The food is ok but as its a managed pub its a bit like cookingbynumbers and corporate food.

www.firstandlastinn.co.uk
Sennen, Cornwall, TR19 7AD
+44(0)871 720 0066
Google map: bit.ly/vKXw9p

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends