London's oldest restaurant

Dickens, Betjeman, H.G. Wells, Thackeray, Graham Greene and King Edward VII are just a few of the celebs who have revelled in Rules.

Rules would be a living cliché but for one essential saving grace - all the fixtures, fittings and studied eccentricities that look as if they have been custom-made in some modern factory are real.

Rules is the genuine article, a very English restaurant.

The proud boast here is, 'We specialise in classic game cookery', and indeed they do, but thankfully the restaurant has become more of a bustling brasserie than the mausoleum it once was.

First of all you should note that Rules is open from noon till late, which is very handy when circumstances dictate a four o'clock lunch.

Start with scrambled egg and smoked salmon, or a Stilton and watercress soup.

Go on to game in season, or the occasional specials: maybe Belted Galloway beef or Tamworth suckling pig, sourced from Rules' own estate in the High Pennines.

The steak and kidney pudding with mash is a banker, as is the roast rib of beef for two and the smoked Finnan haddock fishcake with spinach and poached egg.

Also noteworthy is the fillet of venison with wild mushrooms and herb mash.

Puddings, such as treacle sponge, or sticky toffee, are merciless.

Why not go for the traditional blue Stilton cheese with celery and a glass of port? Should you face entertaining out-of-town relatives, or foreign visitors in search of something old and English, Rules is a good place to indulge in nostalgia, but is still forward-thinking enough to have a no smoking rule that applies everywhere but the private rooms.

Rules
Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7LB