Having lived in the Caribbean for 15 years – my three children were born in Barbados and they still talk about the flying-fish 'cutters' (sandwiches) they took to school in their lunchboxes – I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the finest foods the islands have to offer and not always at the most expensive restaurants, spoiling though they are.

What tourists eat in the Caribbean is often far removed from what the locals enjoy and for a long time restaurants were criticised for not sourcing locally produced food. Fortunately, the tides are changing and there’s a movement focusing on farm- or sea-to-table cuisine, even in the top-end restaurants. But to really get a sense of what ‘belongers’ (locals) eat, here's where I recommend you try.

There’s a rum shop in Barbados that isn’t on any tourist trail: Moontown (also known as St Elmo’s) in St Peter, north of all the action on the Platinum Coast. The setting is unusual – it’s next to a funeral parlour in a fishing village – but every Friday and Saturday night they have an authentic Bajan fish fry. It’s very basic: you buy a bottle of rum, they give you little bowls of ice and sell you the mixers. But the charm is that it’s about as far removed from The Cliff, the island’s most famous restaurant, as you can get. Here there is no menu, they just prepare fresh fish and chicken and you enjoy it sitting with the sand between your toes.

Another local favourite is a rum shack called Marshalls on Holders Hill, overlooking the cricket club. The cricketer Desmond Haynes was born in the village and Marshalls is great for a Banks beer and fishcakes as the sun sets, while the cricket is winding down and the domino-players are winding up.

For really authentic Bajan cooking, you really want to track down a ‘pepper pot’. Like many local specialities, this dish is a reflection of various culinary cultures, which have met and melded in the islands – a melting-pot in the true sense of the word. Essentially, it’s a West Indian stew made up of leftovers which are constantly added to over a period of time and combining Amerindian, East Indian, African and European influences. A good pepper pot is about a month in the making before any self-respecting local will eat it. And it has to be made with cassareep, a natural preservative made of cassava, sugar and spices.

It’s not the easiest dish to track down but a good alternative is to head to The Atlantis Hotel in Bathsheba, on the Atlantic coast, for the Sunday buffet where other local specialities include crab backs and pepper jelly.

Another off-the-beaten track place in the islands is a quirky spot called Hog Heaven on Virgin Gorda in the BVI. It’s barely more than a lean-to on the top of the hill with nothing around it, but the views are spectacular: you can see all the islands from Mosquito to Necker. The guy who owns this wonderful spot is a ‘belonger’ and also has a piggery: Hog Heaven also serves the most amazing pulled pork sandwiches.

You might not associate the Caribbean with pizza but you’ll find one of the best pizzerias this side of Naples on Bequia. Known well by the sailing community, Mac’s Pizzeria is set in little more than a shack on the beach in Port Elizabeth. It’s been serving brick-oven-cooked pizzas since 1980 and toppings are inspired by what’s available locally, including lobster. They serve excellent rum punches and puddings such as Bequia lime pie.

My favourite place in Grenada is Laluna. Owned by the film director Bernardo Bertucci, this charming hotel always has some of the best Italian chefs and really focuses on farm-to-table cuisine. The menu varies according to what’s available but it's always a fabulous spot for fresh fish and pasta.

The truth is that you can often eat well in the Caribbean just by venturing along one of the many of the beaches. From conch ceviche in Da Conch Shack on Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, to Grenada’s Grand Anse beach where you race your own home-made boats while enjoying fish cakes washed down with rum and coconut water.

Equally satisfying is catching snapper and kingfish off any of the islands in the Bahamas – not challenging even for the least confident fisherman – and have one of the local restaurants cook and prepare it for you that evening. They will do it with a smile and a dash of pepper sauce.

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