Hands up who knows anything about Caribbean food? Not most of you, I'll bet, even those of you who holiday there regularly.

The hotels there don't believe in keeping things local, and that goes for the style of the cuisine as much as the produce, most of which is imported. You're more likely to find roast beef and Yorkshire pudding on the menu than pepperpot stew and fungee.

I had shuddered at the idea of staying at an all-inclusive resort in Antigua. What would I do if the food was no good?

I didn't want to spend my time in a hire car schlepping to restaurants to escape, especially at night. But Hermitage Bay, a five-star all-inclusive on the west coast , was promising something else: a top chef who uses mostly local ingredients, and cooks Caribbean-inspired dishes alongside more international fare. And here's a novel idea, a head chef who is from the Caribbean (Jamaica, to be precise).

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Everyone calls him Dezi (real name Verman Banhan) and he has done time in some top kitchens, including Ritz-Carlton's Rose Hall in Jamaica, and Carlisle Bay in Antigua, where he was senior sous chef. This is his first head chef position, and he's loving it. Over the week we stayed, we tried dishes such as cockle water and provision, wadadli-battered mahi-mahi, and jerk pork and fried plantain salad.

The first day started with a soursop and watermelon juice, and I couldn't decide between the Antiguan egg “chop up” and the Caribbean porridge for breakfast - so I had both. The latter was a comforting combination of slow-cooked rice, cocoa and coconut milk. “My mother does the best, but this is good,” grins our server, Rosie, as we all but lick the bowl clean before moving on to a healthy-looking bowl of green mush sitting alongside our eggs. The spinach was picked that morning, then cooked with some aubergine and spring onions.

Dezi took me out one morning to show me just how fresh his ingredients are. After a bumpy ride through back roads we arrived at Mr Christian's farm. He is Dezi's No1 supplier and you can see why; the man is passionate about his produce, propagating new varieties here, trialling better-tasting guavas there. As we strolled through the farm, I tried several fruits I'd never heard of, such as the pink-skinned mallie apple, seaside grapes, and naseberries.

“Mallie apples make great tarts. And these are great stewed,” Dezi said, pointing at the red fruit that supports the cashew nut pod. “I like to serve them with duck.” He peeled open the grapefruit-like skin of a shaddock (nearest cousin the pomelo). “This is my favourite.” The flesh is firm yet juicy, with a heady floral citrus aroma. Dezi serves it in a salad with butter-poached Barbuda lobster.

But the most fascinating sight was the Jamaican ackee trees. I've sampled ackee and saltfish at Mr Jerk in Soho, and clocked the cans of ackee in my local Afro-Caribbean store in South London, but I had no idea that they grew like this. “You have to watch these,” said Mr Christian, “Force it open and eat the fruit before it is ripe and it'll kill you.” He wasn't joking. When buying ackee fresh, Jamaicans will check the fruit before letting the vendor scoop out the custard-yellow fruit (which when raw tastes a bit like a sweeter chestnut).

My favourite, though, was the ju-ju beet, a variety of a fruit called dumbs that Mr Christian sourced from a Taiwanese mission in St Kitts, and his most lucrative crop. Green-skinned and crisp to bite, yet sweet and juicy on the palate, I picked a few for nibbling later. Dezi reckoned they are also great for making jellies and jams . He had fun with the gourmet menu that night, using Mr Christian's sparkling produce. Best were the roasted plantain and asparagus soup, and duck with the stewed cashew flower.

Being naturally greedy, I began to search out ways of working up an appetite to enjoy the meals even more. So each day began with a brisk walk around the headland. Then just before lunch I would tap Devon, the affable water sports instructor, for a sail. He would whisk me around the bay in his Hobie, pointing out any wildlife, from turtles to rays, even the occasional dolphin.

Walking back up the steep hill to our “cottage” (a luxurious mini villa, with private plunge pool and a bath the size of a boat) chewed up a few more calories; and the walk back down a few more. That was it. But that was more than most - the golf carts on hand to rescue the lazy were in use far too often, the resort's only bum note.

NEED TO KNOW

Abercrombie and Kent (0845 618 2211, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk has an all-inclusive week at Hermitage Bay (www. hermitagebay.com) from £2,910pp, with economy class flights and transfers. Travel between March 16 and May 31. Seven nights in July and early August costs from £2,295pp.

Further information: Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Office (020-7258 0070, www.antigua-barbuda.com); Antigua and Barbuda (Rough Guide, £6.99); A Walk Around the West Indies by Hunter Davies (Orion, from £2.76 on Amazon).

WHAT'S ON THE LOCAL MENU

Seasoned snapper

Everyone goes to OJ's for snapper (Crabb Hill Beach, St Mary's, 00 1 268 460 0184). “I think it's the way we season it,” OJ says. He won't reveal all the ingredients, but it does include a tandoori masala mix, lime juice and fresh thyme grown in the restaurant's back yard. OJ grows a lot in his back yard - as well as the eight lime trees, he has dumbs, guava, mango and papaya. Most of the snapper is fished right off the coast.

Dining with a view

It's a similar menu at Russell's Bar & Seafood Restaurant (Fort James, St John's, 001 268 462 5479). The views are stunning by day, but we chose to go at night, bumping our way along the unmade roads to the atmospheric eatery lit by huge lanterns, jazz wafting out over the sea crashing on the rocks below. Conch water was on that night - think spicy clam chowder. And Antiguan cockles - fat and juicy, served in an onion and parsley-flecked broth.

Hit the rum shack

Papa Zouk (Hilda Davis Drive, Gamble Terrace, St John's, 001 268 464 6044) was also a favourite. The smartened-up rum shack, in a leafy part of St John's, deep fries its snapper whole (it works), and serves a punchy Creole-style bouillabaisse. Finish with a digestif of rare five-year-old English Harbour rum from its 200-strong line-up.

Cool beach vibe

Check that the cruise ships and their hordes haven't descended on Sandhaven (Runaway Bay, St John's, 00 1 268 771 6803) before you book your Caribbean sampler lunch. The owners, Jenny and Max (she's English, he's from Antigua), have created a funky vibe at their beach shack with rooms. Ask for the conch salad, and goat water and Johnny cakes.

Something sweet

For afters, head to a roadside vendor who will whip you up a fruit platter for around £2.50 - ours included the island's deliciously sweet, indigenous black pineapple. Sugar apples had also just come into season, so we scoured the fruit and vegetable market in St John's for one that was ripe, tearing into it when we got back to our room, stripping it clean of its indecently sweet flesh. Or you could just help yourself. Dumbs trees grow in abundance all over the island. Cars pull up to a sudden halt, their occupants leaping out to grab any perfectly ripe fruit.

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