Soap operas and gritty dramas have done Northern food no favours over the years. Pie and chips, hotpot, battered sausages and steamed treacle puddings are the first dishes to spring to mind when you consider the options, but times are a-changing.

Manchester is leading the way with chefs Alison Seagrave of Second Floor and Michael Caines of ABode and the River Restaurant on a Michelin star mission. The city is catching up “in terms of choice and reliable local suppliers” and the range of places to eat is improving all the time.

We always look to our trusty reviewers for guidance, and you haven’t let us down. skipchris gives a thorough rundown of the “faded glamour” on offer at the Palace Hotel with its grand lobby filled with “columns, marble, well lit vaulted ceiling, lots of mahogany”, “intelligent and attentive” bar service and “super” full English breakfast while rowenaforbes waxes lyrical about Marmalade, “with its subtle lighting and shabby-chic design” and amazing Victorian onion soup - “order it at once”!

Carnivores should head to Gaucho Grill for free range Argentinian meat that “tastes better than any steak, anywhere. Ever” according to VincentKennedy though gingerchrismc points out the quality of the steak is “matched by their high prices (oh and don’t come with sides as standard)”. For something a little lighter Teppan Yaki serves up “Great quality food (although very heavy on the garlic!) and an enjoyable evening out”, says pineapplejelly, and Isabel suggests Trof Cafe for “very large portions at reasonable prices” and a place to “enjoy an unusual beer and a meal”.