About The Good Food Guide
The Good Food Guide was founded by Raymond Postgate in 1951 and today it remains the longest-standing and best selling guide to dining out in Great Britain.
To cover the best establishments across the country, we look to our discerning readers' tip-offs and suggestions (you can submit your feedback here). Whether there’s a promising new chef in town or a remote country pub that’s upped its game, we’ll send one of our 30 inspectors to give their expert assessment on the food, hospitality and whether it’s worth making a trip for.
All inspections are paid for by the Guide and are conducted anonymously to ensure no preferential treatment is received. No establishment can pay for inclusion to the Guide and we do not accept free meals, so you can be confident our recommendations are offered with the utmost impartiality. For consistency we allow a new restaurant, cafe or pub to settle in for a period of three to six months before we send an inspector to review.
To keep pace with the dynamic nature of today’s hospitality industry, we have brought the Guide into a new digital era. By becoming a member of The Good Food Guide, you have access to The Good Food Guide app, which means more than 1200 trusted reviews are at your fingertips and always up to date.
The Good Food Guide membership
Membership to The Good Food Guide includes:
Reviews: Access 1200+ reviews of Britain's best restaurants on The Good Food Guide app and website, from destination dining to hidden local gems
Perks: Enjoy special perks like a complimentary round of champagne or up to 30% off your bill, and save more than your annual membership each time you dine out
Member events: Meet Britain's top chefs and access exclusive preview nights with our member-only events
Club content: Unlock unlimited inspiration, from local guides and travel itineraries to breaking restaurant news
The inspectors
While it’s an enviable task, the role of an inspector requires a wealth of knowledge and professional experience. The current team includes ex-restaurateurs and chefs as well as experienced editors, food writers and critics.
At the moment, we aren't actively recruiting for new inspectors. However, we always welcome your feedback on establishments you have recently visited. It is not unusual for prolific reviewers to be quoted in entries to the Guide.
The team
Elizabeth Carter, co-editor
Elizabeth has been at the helm of the Guide since her appointment as editor in November 2007. She has been an active restaurant inspector and contributor to the Guide since the 1990s, and has extensive experience in restaurant-related publishing and media. Previous roles have included editor of Les Routiers UK and Ireland Guide (2002-2004) and editor of the AA Restaurant Guide (1997-2000).
Elizabeth has considerable media experience including television and radio appearances, and is available for interview or expert comment on restaurant and food-related issues. Contact us for further information.
Chloë Hamilton, co-editor
Chloë works alongisde co-editor Elizabeth Carter on producing and editing The Good Food Guide. She brings more than seven years’ experience working with the hospitality industry to her role and specialises in communications, copywriting, and brand strategy. She also runs flagship awards for sister publication CODE Hospitality, including 30 Under 30 and 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality.
Adam Hyman, publisher
Adam acquired The Good Food Guide in October 2021 and is the publisher. After a brief stint working in commercial property, he followed his true passion and started working with hospitality, founding CODE Hospitality in 2013. CODE champions the hospitality industry through its media platform that provides offers, perks and a network for hospitality professionals.
Adam is a regular commentator on the UK hospitality industry.
History of the guide
The Good Food Guide was first compiled by Raymond Postgate in 1951. Appalled by the British post-war dining experience, Postgate recruited an army of volunteers to inspect restaurants anonymously and report back. His aims were simple; among them, ‘to raise the standard of cooking in Britain’ and ‘to do ourselves all a bit of good by making our holidays, travels and evenings-out in due course more enjoyable’.
Although much has changed since the very first edition of The Good Food Guide, the ethos of the original book remains. The Guide is about empowering diners, helping readers to find the very best places to eat and encouraging restaurants to offer the best possible food, service and experience.
One change for the better over the years is the industry’s efforts to move on from bullying kitchen cultures that reigned in many fine-dining establishments. We take a strong view on kitchen abuse and in order to encourage positive working environments we will temporarily remove any restaurant that is shown to neglect the welfare and mental health of its staff until we are satisfied that the necessary steps have been taken to change.
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