Market leaders in car hire, Europcar, has announced a new tool which will help UK drivers avoid the soggy sandwiches, pitiful pies and dreadful dinners so often associated with roadside service stations. The car rental experts have teamed up with some of the country’s top culinary experts to produce the Roadside Gastro Guide.

The new food guide is available online for free and provides drivers with a list of quality places to eat just a stone’s throw from some of the UK’s major roads. As well as some well known eateries the guide also gives information on places that may be a closely guarded local secret. All of the establishment in the guide serve home-cooked fare made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Member of the Guild of Food Writers, Richard Ehrlich, said he hoped the guide would prove to drivers that getting into the car did not mean that they had to give up on finding excellent food. He added that the new guide would show them that quality fare can be found just a short distance from major roads, it was just a matter of knowing where to start looking.

The eateries featured in the new guide are situated throughout the UK, from the south coast to the Scottish Highlands. A number of well known names have contributed their recommendations and opinions including celebrity chef Anthony Worrall Thompson.

Essential information such as contact details and opening times are also included in the guide, as are comprehensive instructions on how to get the gastronomic gems.