The best of british can be found right on our doorsteps

It was the quintessential British summer fair, with soft altocumulus clouds rolling over the distant hills, ladies in flowery frocks and the smell of fresh-cut grass filling the air.

Ffion had spent hours that morning, bathing and grooming Samson. He was in pristine condition for the best puppy class, all 82kg of him. The poor girl was then dragged around the arena, trying desperately hard to keep his best features forward. At one point, the judges had to change the direction of the parade just in case Samson inadvertently rendered Tootsie the Pekinese unconscious. He romped it. First prize, a red rosette and £3 prize money.

This kind of event raises much-needed money for local charities and brings together the community in a tradition that is, well, characteristically British.

Also on a local theme, Rob is off to Machynlleth, Powys, and the Centre of Alternative Technology, where he has been invited to do a couple of food demonstrations on organic and locally sourced produce. He loves these projects and the subject is something we both feel passionately about.

We always try to use local producers if we can, such as Bacheldre flour mill, which makes fine organic malted flour and fantastic malted sour dough breads and fruit loaves. We receive nothing but praise and positive comments about our home-made breads.

Phil Wright, a grower with two acres of land with two poly-tunnels, has been supplying us with some superb tomatoes and baby carrots. This allows us to serve a yellow tomato tart with our own-grown sweet basil. It's simple but powerfully intense, and nature at its best.

Brian has supplied a colossal amount of green beans, so the smell of simmering chutney has been rising up over the ruins of Montgomery castle. And as we have been reliably informed, next week's abundance will be firm and slightly tart plums.

Rob tells me it means German-style sweetbread plum tart with lavender streusel and our own crème fraîche - I just can't wait.

Things are quite busy around here. Although overseas tourism still seems thin on the ground, we have a good local following, so no complaints from me. The "drop your card in the box for a Sunday lunch for two" prize has compiled a 300-plus customer base for our bi-monthly newsletter. It enables us to sell our special events and wine-tasting evenings.

We are also in the process of restructuring our upstairs restaurant - nothing too extreme, just a fresh coat of paint and changing the electrics. Oh, and we must change its name from the current "Robbers" - not something we want a reputation for, really.

In truth, it was named after a highwayman who was hanged in Montgomery town square. His last words were that for 50 years, no grass would ever grow on his grave - and it never did!

Sara Pezzack is the proprietor of the Bricklayers Arms, Montgomery, Powys

Next diary from Sara Pezzack: 24 October