I attended the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival in November and came away with memories of sunsets, rum punches and fascinating food. The highlight , for me was meeting Fergus Henderson, the British chef who was the pioneer in nose to tail eating.

I first spotted Henderson sitting quietly behind a stack of copies of his new book, Beyond Nose to Tail. He was all alone. No one had lined up for his signature but he was amused and relaxed, and not at all fussed as he surveyed the crowds washing the hors d'oeuvres down with rum punch. The term 'character' in Britain describes a person who has those certain qualities which make him extraordinary and Henderson certainly fits that bill. He now owns several London restaurants including his flagship St John and will also be the proprietor of the about-to-be-opened The St John Hotel in a slightly seedy part of Chinatown. "A restaurant with rooms", he says "so people can eat and drink well and not have to travel."

He opened his first restaurant St John in London's Smithfield market in 1994 serving parts of the animal people previously dismissed, including his now famous Roast Bone Marrow. It was a huge hit, with long waiting lists, and the catalyst behind the worldwide nose to tail trend. It also put modern British cooking firmly on the food map.

Henderson grew up in Northern England, tutored by a mother who cooked tripe and kidneys and other good honest food and a father who took his children to France to try out the newest restaurants. And so a chef was born who  learned respect for the whole animal not just the choicest parts. His admiration and cooking skills with all these parts means that today beef cheeks are taken for granted as are pigs trotters, head cheese and fried pig's head. It all started in his kitchen.

Meeting Henderson was a personal goal as my respect for him knows no bounds. He has such a positive personality and a life affirming attitude that not only helps him deal with his challenging Parkinson's Disease but also keeps all of us enthralled with his spoken and written words. When given his first (long overdue) Michelin star recently, he said "I'm afraid it's not the first thing on my mind."

Later I met Ming Tsai, host of the award-winning Simply Ming cooking shows on the Food Network. He is an affable warm man with lots of personal style. His food is a combination of East West ingredients techniques and styles. His parents had a Chinese restaurant in Dayton, Ohio where he learned the basics of Chinese cooking before receiving more formal training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. His cuisine is a blend of the two styles and works because he understands the ingredients and techniques from both backgrounds, blending them together to produce his own superb interpretation .His restaurant Blue Ginger in Boston has won many awards. He believes cookbooks are a source for inspiration not a bible and his latest One Pot Meals is a sprint through many different cooking styles while still retaining the essence of Ming. His Ginger Chicken Thighs with Parsnips is a favourite.

In his cooking class in Barbados he talked of his Canadian connection as he is a close friend of Susur Lee's (who shares a similar culinary background) and considers PEI mussels the finest. He has said that he will never become one of those chefs who open many restaurants around the world—he believes in a balance in life as well as food.

Apart from Rihanna, Barbados biggest export is rum. Rum punches are the standard drink across the island and they vary in taste, sweetness and punch depending where you get them. My favourite was in a little rum shop on the island, full of Bajan drinkers washing down the traditional souse (pickled pigs head) with punch.

Sadly native Bajan have found that construction work trumps farming, so there is not much local food available. We did find a local market where they mostly sold sweet potatoes and other roots, fresh herbs and peppers. The vendors told me that native Bajans grow their own fruits and vegetables and only sell what they do not need, the rest is imported.

Much Bajan food is fish based and one of the best ways of tasting is to go to the Friday night Oistens Fish Fry where hundreds of vendors fry or barbecue fish such as wahoo, flyingfish or marlin served with macaroni or sweet potato pie. Sitting at long tables with food from your favourite vendor, knocking back beer and letting the music move you is a superb way to spend an evening. Here are some of my favourite dishes from my trip, including Fried Fish Cutters, Thai Green Curry Shrimp with Fried Basil and a delicious Bread Pudding with Rum Custard Sauce.