Stockton-on-Tees is packed with restaurants offering tasty British cooking both traditional and modern. For instance, Muse on the High Street, Yarm, delivers home-grown dishes with a continental slant in a bright, airy setting that's perfect for casual lunches and date nights alike. The menu changes with the seasons, but keep an eye out for the spinach and cheddar soufflé, chargrilled garlic chicken and juicy Shorthorn fillet. Meanwhile, The Vane on Darlington Road in the village of Longnewton is a good example of a local country pub where you can feast on the likes of smoked salmon with new potatoes, leek and onion pie and rhubarb crumble.

As for Italian cuisine, Stockton-on-Tees' restaurants have that covered too. Places like Lucia's Italian Kitchen and Uno Ristorante (both on Yarm High Street) bring an authentic taste of the bel paese to the North East. Expect a relaxed ambience and beautifully prepared rustic recipes – perhaps a poached duck egg or chicken liver pate for a starter, followed by linguine with fresh local cockles, vegetarian rigatoni dripping with with goat's cheese or prawns in a fragrant Provencale sauce. What's keeping you? Avanti!