A TOP East Lancashire restaurant has been praised in the new Good Food Guide for 1997.

The book, which was released on Tuesday, rates Paul Heathcote's Longridge restaurant among the best in the country.

And the overall news for food lovers is good.

According to the book there has never been a more exciting time to dine out in Britain.

Eating out has become one of the nation's favourite pastimes and restaurants nationwide are offering more variety and higher quality food than ever before.

Guide editor Jim Ainsworth said: "At long last this country is getting a buzz from eating out and we have restaurants to be proud of on a scale never before experienced."

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