Lo and behold! Could it be that something good has emerged from the Credit Crunch? cheers Mrs. M. Tiffanie Darke standing in for AA Gill in the Sunday Times Style magazine, has broken trendy-food-critic ground by recommending Little Chef. I couldn't believe my eyes. We should actually go to Little Chef for good food at reasonable prices.

I'm so tired of reading about restaurants I can't possibly afford to eat in, that this comes as a novelty and delight. I sat upright and read Ms. Darke's review with interest. I can't quite imagine ringing up friends and suggesting that we meet at Little Chef at the Burford roundabout for a jolly dinner and interesting evening, but here is an example of positive thinking for 2009. And what a happy change from reading reviews of grotesquely expensive eateries.

It has to be a very good thing that Little Chef has become an option, a possibility for eating, should the need arise, especially in this economy. Heston Blumenthal, who claims to have been named for the motorway services on the way to Heathrow, has been employed to re-invent this cave age relic, which until now was synonymous with the inedible face of food. The novel idea of making a turn into a Welcome Break pleasant will appeal to many of us, who have wondered for years why cheap but good food couldn't be produced for our journeys. It happens in France and Italy, and now that the UK is an epicentre of all things related to eating, why not Britain?

Ab Rodgers, son of Richard (the world renown architect,) has taken on the task of Little Chef's visual transformation. The interior is still red and white but with a clever ‘50s American diner twist which makes entering a retro experience instead of a groan. 

Tiffany says that the food is excellent, which is about the only good news I've heard in months. The sausages contain 50% more meat and less salt, and the bacon is locally cured. There are Ox cheeks braised in red wine for three days, lamb shank and mash and scampi which she describes as 'crunchy and delicious.' Believe it or not she says the mussels are as good as any you find in France. But her most elaborate praise goes to the puddings, which include the likes of Black Forest gateau mousse and Haagen-Dazs chocolate fondue. 

This is the most creative and imaginative idea I have come across in the Recession.  If Little Chef can reinvent itself, there's hope for us all.  And the choice of Heston for the make-over must be a stroke of genius.  Everywhere we look these days are chefs, and now maybe we'll forget the 'Greasy Spoon' moniker and look at Little Chef with different eyes...truly Nouvelle Cuisine.  Bravo!