A couple of weeks ago, I decided to treat my girlfriend, Charlotte, to a meal at Mustard, a lovely little local bistro situated on New London Road (just up the steps along from ‘a canteen’), writes Ian King.

I'd been casting my beady eye over Mustard ever since it opened, as it looked like just the sort of place a sophisticate, like my good self, and his sidekick, could enjoy some fine, yet filling, dining. Thankfully, I'm pleased to report, I was not disappointed.

Do you remember when Waterfront Place first opened its doors? It was such a novel restaurant to have in Chelmsford; an ultra modern building overlooking the canal offering al fresco dining (weather permitting, naturally), an informal pizzeria and pasta restaurant downstairs, and a much more upmarket a la carte restaurant upstairs.

Now this is one place I am really confused about, writes Faye Cullinane. It's owned by the same chain as Prezzo, but offers a far more intimate and upmarket feel. But if you didn't know it was owned by the Prezzo group, you’d probably think Immo was a one-off independent restaurant. From the outside it definitely looks as though it’s a family run affair, although don't be put off by the stuffed statue of the doddery old man at the window (I am not entirely sure what it’s relevance is as yet).

Or Majorca as most of Essex Know It!As I am writing this article, I am sitting on a terrace in a villa in North Majorca, writes Faye Cullinane. Beyond the swimming pool are orchards of pear, fig, olive, walnut trees and crops of marrows and squashes like you have never seen in your life. The only problem is, I have paid for the privacy of a private villa, yet the gardener/owner keeps popping up at the most inopportune moments saying, “Hola! Buenos dias!” By the second week, I was beginning to think he lived in one of the sheds besides our villa.

And about time too, for a noodle bar is something Chelmsford has been seriously lacking, writes Faye Cullinane.

Zen is an informal, reasonably priced Chinese and Thai style diner which will appeal to all ages. You could go there as a group for a birthday and have a big long bench together at the rear of the restaurant, or you could go simply as a couple or a family.

Where do I start?

As a Good Food magazine subscriber, I always relish the opportunity to go to one of their shows, although his year it was slightly further afield than their usual London venue, writes Faye Cullinane. That being the case, my friend and I saw it as a great excuse to go on a mini-break and stay overnight at the Hilton Metropole at the NEC complex itself.