The rising price of gastropub food gives Ronay a case of indigestion

He even defended British cuisine against the acerbic opinions of France's President Jacques Chirac, and flew the flag for British mutton, still an unfashionable cut of meat.

But now, only a few weeks after praising them, the doyen of food critics has criticised gastropubs for being too expensive.

"One can only hope a resulting but ultimately counter-productive temptation to raise prices will be resisted. In fact, many gastropub prices are even now dangerously near restaurant prices," he says in his 2006 Guide to the Best Restaurants and Gastropubs.

In the guide, Mr Ronay, 90, who has won numerous awards, also warns that gastropub customers can face long waits between courses due to "cramped kitchens and overburdened cooks".

Pamsin Gerrard, 30, the manager at The Farm gastropub in Fulham, London, questioned the accusations, saying: "If you are producing good quality of food and giving a good quality of service, you are within your rights to charge for it.

"Our portions and our quality are of restaurant standard, so we are entitled to price our food accordingly, and this is the same for any good gastropub, wherever it is.

"You wouldn't go to a Wetherspoon pub and expect to pay £12.50 for a main course, but here you do and it is not outrageous. I'm not sure what Egon Ronay is on about to be honest."

For a £12.50 main course at The Farm you can eat loin of venison, sirloin steak or slow-braised lamb.

But Andrew Parle, the head chef at the Walpole Arms in Itteringham, Norfolk, an acclaimed gastropub, said he understood Mr Ronay's concerns.

Mr Parle, 39, who worked in one of the first gastropubs to open in London, said: "He is probably right. Too many chefs in gastropubs are going for Michelin stars and that can put the prices up if their ingredients are too expensive or if they have too many staff. It all depends on what the head chef is trying to do. Our prices are cheaper than some gastropubs in London, but more expensive than others. We try to keep our prices down, but this is not a cheap trade and we don't make money every year."

The current menu at the Walpole Arms includes salad of pigeon, with garlic sausage, potatoes, green beans, pickled peach and soft egg for £12.95.

Mr Ronay's guide named the Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire, as 2006's best gastropub, praising its story-book charm, smiling efficiency and "original creations, every morsel bursting with flavour".