No jacket required at award winning restaurants

The increase in top restaurants offering informal, moderately priced dining means that this year’s new-look Good Food Guide 2008 has ditched all mention of dress codes and handed out a raft of awards* to restaurants that have a distinctly relaxed style.

In previous years the Guide – which reviews the best 1,200 restaurants in the UK - indicated which restaurants required ‘jacket and tie’, but this year the references have been dropped as so few restaurants impose a code.

Gastropubs and restaurants such as Arbutus and Canteen have set a trend for great quality, informal dining at modest prices. Children are now generally welcomed in restaurants, even at the most famous establishments; for example, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons now offers an £18 menu for children.

Elizabeth Carter, editor, The Good Food Guide, says:

“There’s no need to dress up for dinner any more. People want fresh, seasonal food served in a relaxed setting, and The Good Food Guide has recognised the best of this new breed of restaurant in this year’s awards.

“Up-and-coming restaurants like Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Fowey, The Felin Fach Griffin in Wales and The Bildeston Crown in Suffolk achieve a relaxed style without any compromise on excellence.”

* Award winners in The Good Food Guide 2008.