I was born in Whitstable a fair few years ago, long before it was 'discovered' by 'celebrities' and trendified the way it is today. I do not live there now and it has been enormous fun watching it evolve from a real, albeit a bit down at heel, little port to the voracious tourist trap it is now, ready to suck the lifeblood out of any DFLs (Down From Londoners) it can get its fangs into.

It’s a long seven years since we last visited the Himalayan Gurkha, and, since then, the dusty old restaurant with its ponderous service has been re-furbished and re-launched.

Ah, Ironbridge, one of my favourite places in the UK. An Eley’s hand-raised pork pie the size of your head and the tastiest in the country, and a museum for every occasion.

Winner of the 2005 Hotel award in the "utterly enjoyable mild eccentricity" category, the Hundred House Hotel certainly ticks all of the boxes in the “nutty” stakes.

It was a warm Friday evening when we arrived in Faversham. Traffic wise we had definitely picked the wrong weekend as the Kent Show was starting and there were tailbacks all along Detling Hill, but we managed to arrive in good time for our 8pm table.

With John Burton-Race’s happy smiling face plastered all over the Ivy House website, our hopes were high.

The website also offers “Live On-Line Booking”, unfortunately, a couple of hours before lunch, this Thursday in June, the facility showed it to have no tables for two. Thinking this to be odd, I phoned, yes they had tables spare!

Its been a good few years since Spy has ventured into the leafy lanes of Langton Green, but a sunny Spring night encouraged us to venture, for once without the junior agents to the LG Tandoori.

Does Tunbridge Wells really need another Italian pizza/pasta restaurant? Mamma Mia took the place of the failing dim-t restaurant near the old Habitat building and offers a similar menu to many other restaurants in the area. Ask, Prezzo, Pizza Express, Strada and Zizzi's are the High Street challengers and prices and menus are interchangeable.

I haven't eaten in a "greasy spoon" for a few years, so, having time to kill with one of my sons (but not too much), we decided to stop off for some quick, cheap grub on the High Street in Ramsgate.

We got there at 5.30pm, just in time. Plenty of tables when we arrived, but five minutes after we sat down, a long queue had materialised. It’s right opposite Eurostar Arrivals, so I guess these were people wanting a meal before whizzing off to France.