IT'S a tongue twister with a difference – how we taste is all down to where we live.

New research claims the food we love is all down to where we are born.

According to the project conducted by boffins at the University of Nottingham, people in the West Country love the snacks that originated here, like cheddar cheese and cream teas.

Stall holders at Gloucester Farmers' Market said the research was interesting but should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Lynn Fisk, from Tewkesbury-based La Parisienne, said: "I am not sure it is down to where you live. We do a range of things and people are evenly split between sweet and savoury."

Jim Webb, from Pippin Doughnuts, said there was some variation in tastes for his products.

He said: "It is interesting research, we find some areas like different flavours, for example in Bristol we sell more jam and in Gloucester more chocolate."

Jamie Cullimore, from Cullimore's Organics, said the suggestion that people had a local food accent was logical.

He said: "It makes sense but it's not something I have really noticed. With us people just want their burgers quickly."

But Helen Goode, of Goode and Claridge, said they had noticed a very local difference in tastes.

She said they sold beef-based 'drippers' in Gloucester but lard-based 'lardy cakes' in Stroud.

"We think it is because Gloucester used to be the main base for cattle to be driven to," she said. "Where as further south towards the Wiltshire border they were more reliant on pork."

Will Pinker, from Frocester Fayre Farm Shop, agreed. He said: "From our point of view things like our faggots are very popular because they are traditional local food.

"People go for our food because they are based on old recipes. People say they have not tasted anything like it since their childhood which shows food is very much linked with memories as well."

The research, which included a survey of 13,000 people was conducted by scientists at the University of Nottingham for Costa Coffee.

The research found the UK's taste preferences could be broken down like regional accents and depended very much on an area's history.

For example the North East, foods are enjoyed by taste buds on the tip of the tongue because the region has a history of hungry industrial workers demanding meals that offer immediate sustenance.

The research was carried out by food psychologist Greg Tucker and Professor Andy Taylor, who works at the University of Nottingham and is an adviser to chef Heston Blumenthal.

Prof Taylor said: "Taste is determined by our genetic make-up and influenced by our upbringing and experience with flavours.

"Just as with spoken dialects, where accent is placed on different syllables and vowel formations, people from different regions have developed enhanced sensitivities to certain taste sensations and seek foods that trigger these."