Lamberts - Balham

Joe Lambert's immensely likeable restaurant is a godsend for the locals of Balham and a place that is firmly committed to British seasonal food. The interior is unassuming, light, airy and relaxed with plenty of elbow room and a welcoming attitude towards kids (especially at weekends).

Ingredients are cherry-picked from top-notch suppliers including Secretts Farm (salad leaves, tomatoes, asparagus), Farmer Sharp's (Herdwick mutton), Donald Russell (grass-reared steaks) and fish from the Mersea Island boats. Dinner might begin with Childwickbury goats' cheese, chicory and marinated beetroot salad or squid stuffed with black pudding, before crisp belly of British Lop pork with salsify and trotter fritters, a trio of lamb of different ages, or line-caught sea bass with bulgar wheat salad.

To finish, expect seasonal desserts such as elderflower crème brûlée or blueberry and white chocolate cheesecake. Lamberts is also renowned for its award-winning Sunday lunches, which are splendid family bonanzas that run right through the afternoon and well into the evening.