An inspector calls

Lucy Britner talks pies, passion and high menu prices with Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor of the Which? Good Food Guide

The new edition of the Which? Good Food Guide has just hit the shelves, featuring 300 new entries and reader recommendations. Elizabeth Carter has been a guide inspector for 20 years, with credentials including editor of Les Routiers in Britain Guides 2002-2004 and the AA Restaurant Guides 1997-2000. As a former Egon Ronay inspector, she's used to having a lot on her plate.

How do you think the smoking ban will affect pub food?

It has already made a difference, but the full impact on pub food won't be apparent for a while. Licensees think they'll miss out unless they have food. Food has to be the lure - and it can't afford to be the same offering as it was 10 to 15 years ago.

What do you think of menu prices in gastropubs?

They could be cheaper. It would be different if you got restaurant service. Often you have to order at the bar and the napkins aren't cloth - but that's why you go to a pub. I don't want cheap food, but sometimes the prices aren't in tune with the surroundings.

What do you think of pubs that set themselves up like restaurants?

White linen tablecloths work in some cases. If you walk into a pub, it must feel right. Tablecloths work well at the Gun in Docklands because there is a casual atmosphere in the bar. With imagination, you can make such things work.

How do you become an inspector?

Which? Good Food Guide has about 90 inspectors, each of whom sits a test. We ask them to write about their favourite dish or restaurant and can tell who has that passion.

Tell us about your readers' recommendations

When the guide first started, reader recommendations were the be all and end all. This is our first year of using an email system for reader recommendations. We launched it aggressively and it worked wonderfully. We're receiving more and more recommendations. Very often, we are alerted to places outside big towns.

Are there any regions that have become more foodie?

Cornwall - especially for restaurants. There's a great new place near Fowey, called Restaurant Nathan Outlaw. East Anglia, too, as the wealth of local produce is so great.

What's the best thing about being an inspector?

I've been finding new places for 20 years and that's still the biggest thrill of the job. This year's top discoveries are the Railway Hotel, in Faversham, and the Fitzwalter Arms in Goodnestone, both in Kent.

Is your identity as an inspector often rumbled?

Years ago, people would tend to think that you were an inspector if you were eating on your own. I was once rumbled in a hotel by a man who told me: "I knew you were an inspector because you booked a room with such confidence." More recently, pubs have become increasingly female-friendly and people often eat on their own. There's no pressure.

How does the guide compare to others, such as the Michelin?

Our inspections are always anonymous. The Michelin inspectors declare themselves afterwards but we don't, because even where a meal might fail to impress, the licensee can be charming. The Which? guide is written from the customer's perspective. We don't accept advertising or inclusion fees.

Crimes against pub food

Don't give me a steak and kidney pie with a puff pastry hat - you can tell it's not part of the pie at all and the two don't touch. It isn't hard to make a real pie. And melon on pub menus all year really annoys me - it just doesn't work.

Favourite pub dish

Steak and kidney pie or pudding.

What do you think of celebrity chefs opening gastropubs?

I love Gordon Ramsay's Narrow - the bar is incredibly basic, the dining room is beautiful, and service is very good. He could handle 10 more pubs. I love the Hinds Head. Heston's done well to make it so different from the Fat Duck.

Ideal pub menu

Starter: potted shrimps or good soups - made with meat stock to retain the flavour.

Mains: good roasts - these start with meat and they have to be a good cut.

What do you think of gastropubs?

I think the gastropub movement started outside London because it's easier to get better produce. Denis Watkins of the Angel at Hetton, in North Yorks, hated the "father of gastropubs" tag, but was one of the first to serve great food in a country pub. Steven Doherty at Cumbria's Punch Bowl Inn was one of the first chefs to see a country pub's potential. Nigel Haworth in Lancashire encouraged producers try new things, such as the one-day-old cheese. Local produce and local ales can be found on many Norfolk and Suffolk menus. The guys at the Olive Branch in Clipsham, Leicestershire, also played a massive part.

The last word

Pubs are about good, affordable food and great atmosphere. Hot tapas during service hours and cold food all day, with morning coffee and afternoon teas are great ways of diversifying. Why not use all these wonderful premises?