THE soaring cost of fuel should encourage people to buy more local food, according to Jeffrey Stackhouse, the chairman of the Tavistock Food and Drink Festival,

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As producers from across the South West put their wares on show at the Tavistock festival yesterday and on Saturday, Mr Stackhouse called on the town to have an all-week food market.

West Devon Mayor Terry Pearce also added his voice to the buy-local lobby.

“As public unease about food miles increases, it is vital that we support our local producers,” Mr Pearce declared.

With 110 stalls to choose from at the festival, a reporter can be forgiven for being a picky eater.

Soul Bakery (website www.soulbakery.co.uk), from Roborough in Plymouth, caught my eye – and my tastebuds. Their delicious rye and spelt soda bread (especially good if you have wheat intolerance) could be habit-forming, though at £3 a small loaf it would be an expensive habit.

From bread to chocolate is a short step, but a slippery slope.

A ginger-packed chocolate bomb from Browne's of Okehampton (find them at www.brownes.co.uk) blew my taste-buds. Karl and Wendy White of Browne's (is it just me, or is there a joke in that?) said their chocolates were entirely handmade.

Their fruity concoctions cannot be called wholly local; the ginger comes from Australia, the figs from Iran and oranges from Spain. I forgive them.

Dunkery Vineyard in Exmoor's Vale of Porlock (online at www.exmoor-excellence.com) is an old-fashioned affair, where the grapes are all home-grown and the wine is made on the farm.

Owner Derek Pritchard swears that his 2002 Rondo (£10) is the best British red wine. At the first sip I disagreed, but the flavour quickly grew on me.

For a non-alcoholic alternative you could try cordials from Yarty Valley Provisions, to be found in the heart of the Blackdown Hills (www.yartyvalleyprovisions. co.uk), owned by Jayne and David Mugridge (“Just the two of us and a funnel.”)

Lemon and borage was particularly good, and lemongrass and ginger had a warming effect. “You can also use that one to marinade chicken,” Jayne said.

For pudding, Herald photographer John Allen tried one of Langage Farm's new ice-creams – 'Credit Crunch'–- and said it was delicious.

A new exhibitor in the festival's fifth year was ML Thai Food (Plymouth's Thai Palace and Thai House restaurants).

Mr Lang, the owner, reckoned business wasn't as brisk as he would have liked. The chicken and cashew nut and the beef and bamboo curry both smelt good, though the satay sticks appeared to be wilting. Celebrity chefs ranging from Christopher and James Tanner (Tanners Restaurant) to Jacques Marchal (Chez Nous) cooked up a storm.

Nowadays the internet can even put meat on your table. The lamb which is sold by the Thoroughly Wild Meat Company (www.thoroughlywildmeat.co.uk) comes from animals grazed on the Somerset salt marshes. Lavinia and Andrew Moore said the animals' diet of herbs, grasses and marsh samphire gave them a unique flavour.

And if cooking is all a mystery to you, you could try the Baskerville Dining Experience (01822 880386). For £85 a head, guests step back in time to relive the Sherlock Holmes adventure Hound of the Baskervilles – in the house where it was set.

The price includes a horse and carriage ride, a five-course meal and, of course, the murder mystery's dramatic climax.