Letter: Restaurant guides for the starry-eyed

Sir: Keith Botsford has written persuasively in defence of the Michelin Guide against Emily's Green's criticism, printed on 30 January. We agree with his conclusion that Michelin Guides are less reliable outside France than within. But these are not the only universal guides that we have in this country.

Both the Egon Ronay/Cellnet Guide and the AA Guide comprehensively cover British hotels and restaurants, and the Good Food Guide is 'universal' in assessing restaurants.

The two of us eat out both for pleasure and for professional education, and we consider ourselves to be at least as qualified to judge the quality of restaurant cooking as Michelin inspectors.

We cast our votes in favour of Emily Green's original judgement, which is that if Michelin's famous exhortation, nunc est bibendum (now is the time to drink) does not lead the punters to restaurants such as the Walnut Tree, Fox & Goose, and Bibendum itself, it is not as useful as the other guides to people who want to eat well.

Yours faithfully,

SHAUN HILL

Chef

PAUL HENDERSON

Proprietor

Gidleigh Park Hotel

Chagford,

Devon

21 February