Food Tour Of The Week

Canada's Okanagan Valley is a foodie paradise. Andy Lynes tells you where to go to stock up the larder

For the most part, what's made in the Okanagan Valley stays in the Okanagan Valley. To sample the best of British Columbian produce you'll have to make the 35-minute hop from Vancouver to Kelowna. Or take the four-hour scenic drive.

The imposing Mission Hill Winery, 1730 Mission Hill Road, Westbank (00 1 250 768 7611; missionhillwinery.com) could be a Bond villain's lair. The wine education centre's projection screen retracts to reveal not a sinister HQ but a state-of-the-art kitchen.

Chef Rod Butters makes the most of the local bounty at Fresco, 1560 Water Street, Kelowna (00 1 250 868 8805; frescorestaurant.net), the Valley's finest restaurant.

Phone in advance for an appointment at the Blue Mountain Vineyard, Okanagan Falls (00 1 250 497 8244; bluemountainwinery.com) to sample the best wines in the Valley. The lakeside setting alone is worth the trip.

Don't let the views from the open-air kitchens distract you while honing your knife skills in the five-day "Pratique" cookery course at Michael Dinn and Heidi Noble's Joie Farm Cooking School, 2825 Naramata Road, Naramata (00 1 86 642 25643; joie.ca).

Buy some delicious "goatgonzola" before meeting the beasts that helped create it at Carmelis Goats Cheese, 170 Timberline Road, Kelowna (00 1 250 470 034 1; carmelisgoatcheese.com).

At Illichmann's, 1937 Gordon Drive, Kelowna (00 1 250 860 6604; illichmanns.com) there's a huge array of pâtés, salamis and sausages prepared in-store.

Take a guided tour of the Dickinson Family Farm, 17208 Bentley Rd, Summerland (00 1 250 494 8732; dickinsonfamilyfarm.com) to pick your own fruitstraight from the tree.

Retreat to God's Mountain Estate, 4898 Lakeside/Eastside Rd, Penticton (00 1 250 490 4800; godsmountain.com) to prepare your dishes in the guest kitchen and sleep in the unique roofless room.