Darlington has become the best place in the region to eat, according to a new guide to restaurants in the town.

A total of 27 places to eat have opened in Darlington in the past year, prompting the borough council to launch a restaurant guide called Dine in Darlington.

One of the businesses featured is Oven, in Duke Street, which opened six months ago to rave reviews in the national and regional Press.

Before coming to Darlington, owner Tarek Thoma worked at the Dun Cow, in Sedgefield, where he cooked for President George Bush when he visited Prime Minister Tony Blair at his constituency home in 2003.

Mr Thoma said: "In Darlington there is a really wide variety of places to eat - Italian, Indian, everything you can think of, and many really good restaurants."

Darlington's deputy mayor, Councillor Eleanor Lister, said the guide would be useful to both residents and visitors.

Copies of the guide are available from Information Darlington, the tourist information centre in Horsemarket, and the town hall, as well as libraries, post offices and attractions around Darlington borough.