Not for the first time in the short life of this blog, I seem to have taken something of an unscheduled hiatus. The summer isn’t a great period for free time- despite it undoubtedly being when Wiltshire is at the peak of its powers- but now I should be available to get out and about a little bit again.

On Saturday Calne held its annual food festival. Those who know the town only by reputation would probably be quite surprised by the central area when they arrive there. Despite being known as a relatively grim part of the county- perhaps in part a hangover from the decades of existing around a pork processing plant- the truth is that Calne is pretty unfairly treated by its uninspiring standing.

The green is surrounded by 24 listed buildings and the nave of St Mary’s Church is nearly a full millennium old. Coming up from there, the ornate walkway, made of Cotswold stone, which runs alongside the river Marden before it disappears neatly under the Town Hall has a faintly Florentine feel to it if viewed through optimistic eyes. The library, with its famous modernist sculpture The Head outside, represents the 21st century facelift given to the town in recent years.

It was around here that the stalls of the food festival were set up, making the most of the spruced up town centre. In all honesty, though, the event itself was a little disappointing. Where you might hope for a variety of different foods being cooked up, allowing you to sample a range of international cuisines, the reality was predominantly made up of some stalls selling sweets and jams.

Those which were serving out fresh cooked food, such as the German wurst stand and the stall offering an enjoyable selection of Nigerian food, seemed to be doing the best trade, which hopefully didn’t go unnoticed by the organisers ahead of next year. Another hit was the honey stand which had a glass-sided beehive to allow curious visitors the chance to watch the busy workers in action.

As a showcase for local produce the festival deserves commendation. I myself couldn’t resist buying a hot sauce called God Slayer, more potent than anything available in supermarkets, from the Wiltshire Chilli Farm, and most stalls seemed to come from the surrounding area. But it would have been nice to have a little more on top, a little more adventure and inspiration. Where they could be inviting the world in- bringing international flavours to the town- instead they opted for safety and ended up with little more than a glorified market. Going international need not diminish the local feel, and a brave expansion in that direction next year could give a big improvement.