SOUTH WEST

1. The Croust House - Hidden in a twist of lush lanes on the Lizard Peninsula, this on-farm café is the home of Roskilly's superb Cornish ices. The 75 flavours served in the ice-cream parlour change regularly and can include orange mascarpone, gooseberry and clotted cream fudge. Evening barbecues with music are held during the summer holidays and you can see the Jersey herd being milked 4.30-5.30pm daily -Tregellast Barton, St Keverne, Cornwall (01326 280479; www.roskillys.co.uk )

2. Hotel Tresanton - Breakfast to dinner is served on Tresanton's elegant terrace, with stunning views across Falmouth Bay. Seafood and Cornish cream teas are popular, along with weekend barbecues from July. A good way to sample Olga Polizzi's hotel chic as a non-resident - 27 Lower Castle Road, St Mawes, Cornwall (01326 270055; www.tresanton.com)

3. Porthminster Beach Cafe - This beachside cafe with an outside terrace is in a wonderful position overlooking Porthminster beach in St Ives. Fresh fish, sustainably-caught if possible, is served for a long lunch (12-4pm) or dinner - Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall (01736 795352; www.porthminstercafe.co.uk)

Readers choice: The Winking Prawn, North Sands, Salcombe, Devon (01548 842326; www.winkingprawn.co.uk). A fabulous seafood restaurant right on the beach. There are buckets and spades and dressing-up boxes, and barbecues on fine nights. Great for a relaxed holiday meal. Catol Bagni

4. Riverford Field Kitchen - The lunches and suppers served at this innovative field kitchen are made from what is best on the organic farm that day. You have to book for the food and daily farm walks, but it can be done on the same day before 10am. The front of the building opens up to the countryside beyond and there are picnic tables outside - Wash Barn, Buckfastleigh, Devon (01803 762074; www.riverford.co.uk)

5. Oyster Shack - Open from breakfast onwards, this relaxed, popular restaurant is a great place to kick back and indulge in a long seafood feast, with the added bonus that you can bring your own wine at lunchtime. A new branch has just opened near the beach at Salcombe (no BYO) - Milburn Orchard Farm, Stakes Hill, Bigbury, Devon (01548 810876), Hannaford's Landing, 10-13 Island Street, Salcombe, Devon (01548 843596; www.oystershack.co.uk)

6. Square & Compass - One of the loveliest locals in Britain, the Square & Compass has sculptures and chickens outside, good beer, simple food and a small fossil museum. A great place for a stop-off on a Dorset coastal walk - Worth Matravers, near Swanage, Dorset (01929 439229)

7. The Crab House Café - A wooden shack with hats on hand to keep off the sun and views overlooking Chesil beach, this is one of those satisfying places to eat by the sea. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 12-3pm and 6-9pm, and Mondays in high season. You can buy crabs and their own farmed oysters to take away - Ferry Bridge, Portland Road, Weymouth, Dorset (01305 788867)

8. Bank House Café - Rambling roses and a tumbling mill steam are part of a secret garden with dining tables at the Bank House Café, a Georgian house in a medieval town at the foot of the Mendips. Food is served all day, with dinner served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday - The Square, Axbridge, Somerset (01934 733004; www.bankhousecafe.co.uk)

9. The Wheatsheaf - New owners are making the most of serving good food in this idyllic pub garden in the beautiful countryside south of Bath. Three terraces overlook the valley below and provide plenty of space for weekend barbecues, boules, and boisterous children. More elaborate meals are served on the top terrace, and there's also a simpler garden menu - Combe Hay, Somerset (01225 833504; www.wheatsheafcombehay.com)

10. Roger Wilkins' Cider Shed - "Lounge Bar", it says in painted white letters above the cow shed. Roger Wilkins' farm is the perfect place to sample this newly fashionable drink in the heart of cider country. Expect a number of lounging bodies and snoozy smiles. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm; Sunday 10am-1pm. Off-sales available - Land's End Farm, Mudgley, Wedmore, Somerset (01934 712385)

Times recommends

• The world's 10 weirdest things to eat
• Correspondents: hoteliers revenge for Tripadvisor
• A slow, ponderous journey up the Mekong