But where should the discerning customer go?

We sent out reporter and food obsessive Stephen Bailey to try a selection of the meals on offer.

Place: Barley Mow, Golden Square

Clientele: During the day it was younger people, a couple of Goths, a few older people. An old-fashioned pub complete with ornate fireplace and nooks and crannies, it seems to attract a mix of people.

Food: The usual pub grub - hot baguettes, burgers and meals like chilli con carne. You can get two for £5.95.

You can also get an all day breakfast, although it probably wasn't the most sensible choice for the drunk young lad in front of me at the bar, who responded to the barman with a four second delay.

I Got: The ultimate burger for £5.55, which includes bacon, a fried egg and onion rings, and a 'mixed leaf garnish', though that garnish seems to miss the point.

However, the problem was, the staff seemed overstretched on the day I went and one barman had apparently only started that day.

After a half hour wait for the food I had to leave without eating to go cover an important court case.

The old couple next to me said they had also waited a long time, but they said their gammon and egg and sausage and mash was 'nice' and 'quite nice' respectively.

Ambiance: It's a nice place, and probably better if you get to eat.

Place: BHS, the Cockhedge Centre

Clientele: Mostly women, and mostly over 50 when I went. And very working class - the woman in front of me had literally 20 sugars for two pots of tea.

Food: Traditional hot food is the main staple - cottage pie and steak and ale pie are typical.

The kitchen is partly open so you can see food being prepared but shouts of 'can we get some chicken nuggets please' are hardly the stuff of Gordon Ramsay.

You can also get sandwiches.

I got: Cod, chips and peas for £5. It was pretty nice, though the chips are a bit thin and limp. I would heartily recommend the cottage pie from a previous visit.

Ambiance: The staff were friendly, and one woman went round checking the OAPs were okay, but the BHS press office was less so and would not let us take a photo, so ya-boo to them.

You can also get a Daily Express for 10p with your meal. That will either entice or repel you.

Place: Fastapasta, a food van in Bridge Street

Clientele: Anyone and everyone.

Food: The van does a smallish selection of toasted panninis for between £3.50 and £3.95, and pasta bowls costing £2.95, all served by the busy, but hot looking owner.

The varieties of pasta sauce change but the van always tries to have at least one vegetarian option

There's no seating provided but there's plenty of nearby places to perch.

You can be classy and get a pasta box and a coffee, or you can be like me because...

I got: A melted sausage and salsa panini with mozarella and a can of Coke - and very nice it was, though it could have been a bit spicier.

Ambiance: Good food and no-nonsense service and possibly the world's least pretentious use of the pannini.

And, if you get bored while eating, you can watch the mating habits of the skateboarders who hang around outside the Officers Club.

Place: M-2-Go, Suez Street

Clientele: Mainly younger people working in nearby firms and some discerning shoppers.

Food: An exotic mix of sandwiches costing up to £3.25.

The gourmet sandwich menu in particular is a sight to behold, with triple-deck feasts served with mysterious ingredients like 'dill pickle' and 'emmenthal'.

The service for these takes a bit longer than for a normal sandwich as staff make them in front of you from bowls under the counter, but it is worth it.

However the names given to the gourmet sandwiches are bizarre. It's a very nice choice, but the 'Bit Fishy' sounds terrible.

I got: The 'Santa Claus' - a baguette stuffed with bacon, blue cheese and cranberry. Extremely nice, but also not the kind of thing you could eat every day if you value the width of your arteries.

I sat in and ate it but the place isn't really designed for that and it felt awkward.

Ambiance: The closest I've seen in Warrington to a gourmet deli. Let's put it this way, one breakfast option is cream cheese and smoked salmon on a bagel.

Place: Shelley's, Bold Street

Clientele: A mix of families and older people, most of who seemed to be out shopping for the day. A lot of the customers seemed to know each other when I went.

Food: Mainly traditional food with offerings like Welsh rarebit, with plenty of hot baguettes and other choices.

It also has a bar and is able to serve drinks, so it's the perfect place to head for if you've had a good day at the nearby Crown Court, though for legal reasons I must stress everyone was entirely respectable and sober.

I got: The steak and ale pie and a generous pot of tea, for £7.80. A bit more expensive than some places, but the food was rich and tasty and the potatoes (either roasted or sauted - look, I'm not Micheal Winner you know) were excellent.

A slightly incongrous lettuce leaf rounded off the meal.

Ambiance: It's pretty unobtrusive in the street but busy inside, and it has a clean and bright look with plush carpet.

Somewhere just right for a stop-off when you are treating yourself at the shops.