Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen of his Royal Hospital Road eatery Times Newspapers Ltd

Despite the doom-mongering, the recession appears to be having little impact on the capital’s restaurant scene. London restaurants feature heavily in a newly expanded Top 50 list released today by foodie manual The Good Food Guide.

An extra ten venues have been added to the traditional top 40 list, proof that the nation’s dining scene is thriving. Heston Blumenthal’s much-hyped Fat Duck in Berkshire might have scooped the number one spot again with a perfect 10 out of 10 score (the only venue to be awarded full marks), but London restaurants dominate the list with 15 entries, five of them in the top 10.

There are few surprises on the celebrity chef-studded list, with Gordon Ramsay’s Royal Hospital Road restaurant scooping second place yet again. In contrast to the bad press which has plagued the foul-mouthed chef this year, the 2010 edition of the Guide labels his food "as haute as cuisine comes".

Ramsay’s former protégée, Marcus Wareing, is snapping at his heels in third place with his stylish self-titled eatery at the Berkeley , which the guide praises as "among London's finest".

Elsewhere it’s business as usual with Phillip Howard’s The Square and Gallic institution La Gavroche staying in their respective fifth and seventh spots. Shane Osborn’s acclaimed Pied-a-Terre moves up one spot from last year to appear at number nine and there’s more glory for Gordon with his Maze restaurant climbing from 15th place to number 11.

Bad boy chef Tom Aikens narrowly missed out on a top ten place again with his flagship diner bagging the number 12 spot for the second year running.

Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor of The Good Food Guide says that a mix of recession-busting deals and the growth of gastropubs has helped the nation’s restaurants survive the financial crisis and elevated British cuisine.

She said: “I think for so long British cooking has been considered a joke, but there's been a revolution in this country, led by gastro pubs, which has made people look at food differently and now they have much higher expectations. French food is in the doldrums, by comparison. It is really in decline."

The Good Food Guide’s Top 50 list

1. Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire

Heston Blumenthal's restaurant has been a firm favourite with foodies over recent years.

Blumenthal, considered a culinary genius by many, is famous for his scientific approach to cooking.

He has presented numerous TV cookery shows were he encourages the public to bring his ingenious recipes to life.

The Fat Duck, which temporarily closed earlier this year following an outbreak of the norovirus, was the only restaurant in the guide to receive a score of 10 out of 10.

The guide said: "Some (customers) rave about spectacular oak moss and truffle toast; others drool over the fabulous roast foie gras 'benzaldehyde'.

"Though it's an expensive restaurant, it's worth it for the once-in-a-lifetime experience."

2. Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road, London

Ramsay is now a well-established household name after producing a plethora of cookbooks and fronting many TV cookery programmes.

The famously foul-mouthed chef is no stranger to coming out top in restaurant guides. His food was praised for being "as haute as cuisine comes".

3. Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London

Ramsay's protégé Marcus Wareing heads the kitchen at the stylish London eatery, formally known as Petrus.

The guide describes it as being "among London's finest", and singles out the restaurant's "finely crafted cooking".

4. Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxfordshire

The guide describes French-born Raymond Blanc's restaurant as "unashamed luxury and pure delight".

"Blanc may be a high-profile charmer but he is also an intelligent and dutiful perfectionist in the kitchen," it says.

5. The Square, in Mayfair, London

"Philip Howard is one of the most talented chefs in Britain, whose classically orientated cooking is committed to technical excellence," according to the guide.

6. Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

The restaurant was praised for "heartfelt cooking and excellent value".

7. Le Gavroche, London

The guide describes Michel Roux's creations as "peerless gastronomy from a French legend".

8. The Vineyard at Stockcross, Berkshire

According to guide, it offers "striking cooking in stunning surroundings".

Chef John Campbell "dissects modern cooking, reshuffling the components in an intelligent way" and visitors are "struck by the brilliant marriage of flavour and textures from the word go".

9. Pied-a-Terre, London

Described as "one of London's best", the guide notes that chef Shane Osborn "has skill to spare both in the imagination of his dishes and his sheer technique".

10. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Fowey, Cornwall

The guide is full of praise for the restaurant which offers "dazzling fun food from a wizard".

11. Maze, London

12. Tom Aikens, London

13. L'Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria

14. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh

15. The Capital, London

16. The Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire

17. Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey

18. Hibiscus, London

19. Danesfield House, Marlow-on-Thames, Buckinghamshire

20. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, London (new)

21. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham

22. Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon

23. Holbeck Ghyll, Windermere, Cumbria

24. Fischer's Baslow Hall, Baslow, Derbyshire

25. Anthony's, Leeds, Yorkshire

26. Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, Chester, Cheshire

27. Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland

28. Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey

29. Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire

30. Fraiche, Wirral, Merseyside (new)

31. Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo, Wales

32. Mr Underhill's, Ludlow, Shropshire

33. Murano, London (new)

34. Midsummer House, Cambridge (new)

35. Hambleton Hall, Rutland, Leicestershire

36. The Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouth, Wales

37. Robert Thompson at the Hambrough, Isle of Wight (new)

38. The Creel, St Margaret's Hope, Scotland

39. Harry's Place, Great Gonerby, Lincolnshire

40. The Old Vicarage, Ridgeway, Derbyshire

41. The Ledbury, London (new)

42. The Greenhouse, London

43. Club Gascon, London

44. The Kitchin, Edinburgh

45. Galvin at Windows, London (new)

46. The Sportsman, Whitstable, Kent (new)

47. Purnell's, Birmingham, West Midlands (new)

48. The Yorke Arms, Harrogate, Yorkshire (new)

49. Ramsons, Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester (new)

50. La Becasse, Ludlow, Shropshire (new)