Appetites fired in pumpkin country

Amy Bould visits Washington State in the USA

Pumpkin Chunkin' at Knapps's on Green Bluff. Yes, that's what I said. Pumpkin chunkin'.

There is so much fresh produce being grown in Washington State that one farmer has found a unique way of dealing with his unsold vegetables – he's built his own hydraulic cannon to shoot pumpkins over half a mile away.

Standing in the middle of a field shouting "fire" was not quite how I imagined a tour showing off the finest food and wine this North Western region has to offer, but it certainly started with a bang.

Knapps is just one of nearly 30 family-owned pick-your-own farms in Green Bluff, just a short drive from Spokane airport – itself less than an hour's internal flight from Seattle.

And although Washington State is famous for its fresh fruit, with festivals dedicated to cherries, peaches and apples, it is also making a name for itself in the wine world, with vintages winning awards and slowly gaining the recognition already achieved by the Californian wineries further down the West Coast.

Spokane is real downtown home America, with a river which is one of its best kept secrets. It's worth taking a kayak ride downstream for a couple of hours if only to build up an appetite for the institution which is Dick's Hamburgers. Forget McDonald's, this is the original fast food joint.

Opening in 1964, with a motto of "buy 'em by the bagful', the staff memorise all the orders (there were at least 10 of us) and call them in instead of writing them down.

Also worth a stop for dinner is the Wild Sage Bistro where young chef Alexa Wilson is serving up some of the best dishes in the North West alongside her famous popovers (Yorkshire puddings to you and me).

Less than two hours drive away is the Tri-Cities area of the state – an agricultural haven where small independent wineries are making superb vintages in the Columbia Valley. It's also the home of Country Mercantile in Pasco where people travel for hours to pick up jams, jellies and homemade sweets and chocolates-to-die-for made onsite.

The Tagaris Winery and Barnard Griffin Winery are literally next door to each other, the first founded in 1987 offers a superb lunch alongside a glass or two, and the latter producing dry table wines and blending of the state's finest vineyards. And a walk around the corner will find you at Bookwalter's – a Starbucks-style environment for wine instead of coffee enthusiasts.

Vastly important to both the agriculture and the vineyards is the Columbia River which flows through the region. If you can tear yourself away from the booze, the Hanford Reach National Monument is best seen from the water, on a jet boat ride out of the last free-flowing section of the Columbia within the US. As a bonus, you're also more than likely to spot an abundance of wildlife including giant white pelicans, Trophy mule deer, porcupines and beavers.

But back to the food. Cedar's on Clover Island offers dinner with a view. And what a view, overlooking the Columbia, Rattlesnake Mountain and Cable Bridge (which is lit at night), the seafood is fantastic but make sure you book.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in wine should head to Walla Walla, a small town doing great things to keep commerce alive by linking up with its wine producers and independent food retailers.

Cougar Crest Winery specialises in handcrafted Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot and Viognier with quality controlled from bud break to bottle wine that is 100 per cent Walla Walla Valley.

And as wine always pairs up well with cheese, the Monteillet Fromagerie is one place where the owners will guarantee you don't leave without trying both.

It's the first artisanal cheese producer in the Walla Walla Valley, run by Joan and Pierre-Louis Monteillet (who have the most amazing love story all of their very own), and is based in Dayton. Originally wheat farmers, they worked 2,000 acres for more than a decade before spotting a niche to create wonderful cheeses to accompany the wine being produced in the valley.

Nearby Waitsburg is the best place for dinner, with what would once be described as a "one-horse" town finding a renaissance of its own thanks to an influx of young entrepreneurs swopping city life to set up bars and restaurants in real Americana countryside.

Jimgerman bar serves the best cocktails (which in October last year included an Obama special with half the cost of the drink going to the campaign), and opposite is the Whoopmeup Hollow Cafe, offering southern comfort food with the north west wines.

But this is also cherry country. If you don't eat them straight from the tree, then here they stick them in jam, cover them in chocolate, marinade them in liquor or dry them for your cereal topping.

Chukar Cherries in Prosser is a great place to stop off for a snack en route to the wineries in Zillah and Yakima. You can even horse trek through the vineyards to get to the Silver Lake Winery with a perfect base at Cherry Wood Bed and Breakfast, where if the fancy takes you, you can sleep in a teepee under the stars.

And if all that food and drink has left you needing a well-deserved rest, the spa at Salish Lodge is the perfect, away-from-it-all place to rest your head. Based at Snoqualmie Falls, which will be instantly recognisable to fans of the cult early 1990s US series Twin Peaks, its offers a view of a waterfall which will take your breath away ... but hopefully not your appetite!

That's one thing you will need on a visit to Washington State.

Travel Facts

• KLM and partner airline, Delta, fly from London Heathrow to Seattle via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and fares start from as little as £449 return.

• KLM offers passengers a regional network of 15 UK departure points including Aberdeen, Bristol, Leeds-Bradford, Manchester, Norwich and, new for 2009, Liverpool.

• KLM's seamless travel offering and quick and easy internet check in facility means that passengers can check in online between 24 hours and up to one hour before departure. For more information on internet check in or to book flights visit www.klm.com For telephone bookings call 0871 222 7474.

For a free visitors information guide to Seattle and Washington State contact Seattle and Washington State Tourism on 020 7978 5233 or visit the websites at: www.visitseattle.org or www.experiencewa.com