The very word “Devon” conjures up images of cream teas and cider. But there is a lot more to a trip to Devon than alcohol and neat cholesterol. Not that I’m knocking cream teas, you understand – there is something timeless about a pot of Earl Grey in a country garden with fresh scones, cream and home-made strawberry jam. It’s just not the only way to put on weight in this county of culinary delights.

Devon earns its living from food. Growing it and selling it. Many of the market towns now have a farmers’ market where you can buy everything from locally-produced buffalo mozzarella to ostrich eggs (for that really BIG omelette). The only problem with farmers’ markets is that if you don’t happen to be around on the right day, it’s just tough. Most of the farmers who attend these markets sell from the farm the rest of the week, so it’s really worth pulling in when you see the words FARM SHOP (and there are plenty of them). For the really dedicated foodie there follows a suggested itinerary for a car tour of Mid and East Devon, just popping into Somerset and returning via the lace town of Honiton. The whole trip – with tastings - should take you about a day. Or of course, you can just visit individual venues if you prefer.

WARNING: Most of Devon's market towns still have early closing on Wednedays. Pure tourist venues will be open but most small shops will be shut.

Leave Exeter on the A377. Just after you have left the City on the right, you come to your first stop: Quickes Farm. Quickes sells its famous cheddar, ice cream and award-winning butter. The unsalted is particularly fine – good enough eat by the spoonful and forget the bread!

While Quickes’ cheddar is one of the most famous English cheeses, you might want to hang on until you get to Crediton – another 3 miles along the A377. Treloars Delicatessen not only stocks Quickes cheeses but another 15 or so other local cheeses. The owner, Guy Garrett is a fount of knowledge on local food. Leave ample time here for tasting – the home made pies and pasties are a particular treat. Parking is on the main street, or there are a couple of pay and display car parks signposted from the main road. Just a word of warning – Treloars is something of a local institution and on Saturday mornings it is absolutely packed. If you want a leisurely taste of everything without feeling you are holding up the queue it’s better to go during the week (not that the queue normally minds they're planning on tasting too).

After Treloars, regain your car and go back towards Exeter until you meet a left turn onto the A3072 towards Tiverton at the end of Crediton Fore Street. About 3 miles along this road, on the left (signposted Cheriton Fitzpaine) there is an excellent farm shop doing pick your own (or picked for you, for the lazy) soft fruit.

Ostrich Sausages

On leaving the farm shop, you could regain the A3072 and take the direct route to Tiverton. If you are feeling brave enough to tackle the very narrow lanes and one extraordinarily steep hill – you could take the back road to Tiverton via Silverton’s celebrated butcher. Go straight across the A3072 and up the amazingly steep Raddon Hill as you go down the other side, take the left turn to Thorverton. After about 3 miles, at Thorverton, turn left to go through the village to join the A396. Turn left onto the A396 and take the first right turn to Silverton. The butchers is in the main village square. Selling a good range of local meat this butcher is justly famous for his huge range of home-made sausages- over 40 different flavours, including a venison sausages, vegetarian sausages and even ostrich sausages. Both fresh and pre-frozen are available – just make sure you take a big enough cold bag.

After leaving the butchers, retrace your steps to the A396 and turn right for Tiverton. Tiverton has its own farmers’ market but if they are not in town there is not much else to excite the pallet.

Continue out of Tiverton along the A396, following the Exe Valley until you come to Exebridge. The Anchor Inn in Exebridge does excellent lunches and by this time you’ll be needing one. On a fine day, the garden by the Exe (an important salmon river) is as close to Heaven as you’re likely to get.

Catch your own

Once refreshed, cross the road from the pub and about 100m up the road on the right is a narrow lane, leading to Exe Valley Fishery. Perversely, I’m not recommending the fish here (it’s good but there’s better to come just outside Honiton) but the other smoked goodies. Try the smoked duck, chicken or if they have it in stock, smoked pheasant. If you enjoy catching your own, rods and tackle can be hired for a peaceful day’s fishing.

From Exebridge, it’s just a few miles to one of the country’s few remaining Real Bakers. F.J. Bawden’s in Bampton (on the B3277) looks particularly unpromising, with a large HOVIS sign above the door. That is, of course, until you realise, that the sign is an antique. Bampton bakers still use a traditional wood-fired oven and the bread is about as far removed from Hovis as you can get. Make sure you also try the rock cakes – they don’t look special but the fresh lemon rind gives them a particular zing.

No trip to Bampton is complete without popping into the butchers on the opposite side of the road to the baker's and about 20m up the main street. The game pies here are a particular delicacy – you can buy family sized ones or individual ones.

Now retrace your steps to Tiverton. By this time you may have had enough food to last you .. well until your next meal. If so, you can cut the trip short at this point and head straight down the A396 back to Exeter. If you are game for more, you can embark on the eastern part of the tour, centred on Honiton. Either zip one stop down the M5 to Cullompton or, if you fancy something a little more leisurely, take the old route from the motorway junction, at Willand and follow the B3181.

Feed the fish

At Cullompton, take the A373 to Honiton, unless the farmers’ market is in town, in which case you might fancy a leisurely browse. On the A373, just before Honiton on the left is the inconspicuous Mecca of smoked fish products, Tracey Mill Trout Farm. The idyllic location is one of the few remaining water mills in the country, which constantly fills the picturesque trout ponds. Here you can even take time out to feed the fish (before they feed you, so to speak!) The fish cakes are quite unforgettable and make sure you get some of the smoked trout pâté (it freezes well)

By now you will be desperate for that cream tea. Clotted cream, the local speciality is made by leaving the cream on the most gentle of heat (still made in most farms in the traditional way on the warm top of a Rayburn). As the fat rises it is creamed off to create the very opposite of semi-skimmed milk – thick and delicious with a slight yellow crust on top. A proper cream tea consists of scones, clotted cream instead of butter, with raspberry or strawberry jam (Expect a slightly runny strawberry jam. Strawberries are naturally low in pectin and don’t gel really well and a good home-made jam shouldn’t have any artificial gelling agent added.) If you are doing this tour in summer, there will be no shortage of farms with make-shift “ Cream Teas” signs to draw you off the road. Be tempted – these places are usually the best. Alternatively, and open year round, try The Deer Park Hotel, a large country house hotel in stunning parkland – as suggested by its name – 2 miles from Honiton in the village of Weston on the River Otter.

Once refreshed, head east to Shute to the award-winning Lyme Bay Winery, which does all sorts of alcoholic tipples, including cider, cider brandy and country wines. Lyme Bay Winery, incidentally also does internet orders. Once done take the A30 back to Exeter.

How far?

Below are approximate distances for individual legs of the tour. Remember that Devon roads can be a bit dodgy: The M5 and the A30 are OK but the other “A” roads are rather windy and the lanes are single track with grass growing down the middle.

Total distances: