Exeter is the county town of Devon and, with a population of around 130,000, the largest city in the area. Nevertheless, it retains plenty of small-town charm – particularly in the old town. We visit the autumn market in the Cathedral and are delighted to find so many local people selling handmade items they have crafted at home or in their small workshops. Pictures made from bus tickets and other scraps of paper, pottery fish, crocheted Christmas tree decorations, funny knitted winter hats with cat’s ears or frog’s eyes, felt brooches, leather pendants, picture frames featuring animals made from stones and shells, glass decorations and much more. We all agree: my mum would love this market and it would give her plenty of inspiration for her own projects.

Now we’re off to a farm shop for a late lunch. Gabi is quite surprised by her club sandwich: instead of the usual triangles with different layers, all the ingredients are piled high on two halves of a roll, making it rather difficult to eat. Our friend is having a steak sandwich and I’ve ordered an English breakfast.

With our bellies full, we soon find ourselves browsing through the farm shop. It is the largest and arguably the most extraordinary farm shop we have ever seen. As well as a wide range of local produce, there is an extensive selection of fresh food, including meat, cheese (including Gruyère) and cakes – the sort of range that any Swiss supermarket would envy.

And that’s not all! They also sell kitchens and bathrooms here, in a range of styles, including the largest natural stone bath we’ve ever seen. Meanwhile, our friend falls in love with a large, round TV armchair which (perhaps not with this upholstery) could well have come straight from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

There’s simply no room left for those huge slices of cake we’d been eyeing up all through lunch, try as we might. So we take two back to our hotel room. It’s not until around 9 pm that we can have a light snack again, and we share a KFC meal with the mozzarella fingers that Gabi was really looking forward to.