I shouldn’t have been surprised to find Juliet Harbutt standing alongside a table of freshly harvested asparagus when I visited the Chipping Norton Food Festival last week. But I was.

I’ve always considered Juliet the doyenne of cheese rather than vegetables, and had expected to find her promoting local cheeses alongside copies of her splendid World Cheese Book (Dorling Kindersley, £16.99).

Actually, Juliet was there to promote Slow Food, which is a non-profit member- supported association founded to counter the rise of fast food, fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where food comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. To spread the word, local groups (convivia) are set up by food lovers such as Juliet, who established one for the Cotswolds in 1998, making it one of 1,300 convivia world-wide which do all they can to support local producers and meet fellow foodies.

She chose to promote locally-grown asparagus at the festival because she believes it symbolises everything that Slow Food stands for. As she explained, there really is nothing like British asparagus.

“Firstly, it is seasonal, and its season is short. In fact, this year it will probably be even shorter than normal because of the warm weather. That makes it even more precious,” she said.

Like many foodies who love asparagus, Juliet admits to gorging on it during its eight-week season. “I add it to every meal I can; then, when the pick-your-owns and farmers stop selling it, I stop eating it and begin feasting on freshly harvested strawberries still warm from the sun, because that is what it is all about” She sees those first sprigs of asparagus as heralding all that is good about the British summer. “Once they have made their appearance, everything else follows, the soft berry fruits, the vegetables, broad beans, peas, spinach, baby carrots, beetroots, spring onions and perhaps the most heavenly vegetable of them all — those first new potatoes enjoyed with fresh mint and so small they can be almost eaten whole.”

The convivia that Juliet established is a particularly friendly group who meet once a month for a drink and sometimes supper in a pub or restaurant known to serve local produce. They enjoy picnics too, at which all present bring a dish of food that reflects the season. They also meet the producers, including gardeners with allotments who often grow the heritage fruits and vegetables that you will not find in supermarkets. She is also encouraging us to put unwanted produce to good use, either by giving surplus fruits and vegetables to institutions, charities or even local chefs who can turn them into a seasonal local dish.

“Last year I had buckets and buckets of apples to spare that would have just rotted if I hadn’t passed them on to local chefs. My aim is to encourage everyone with a glut to pass it on. This year I hope those attending the British Cheese Awards on Churchill’s Village Green in September, to bring along excess items that they have harvested which need eating up.” says Juliet who is confident that if she can establish this idea within her area, other communities will follow suit. “I just hate passing people’s gardens that are full of rotting fruit.”

This year she will be taking her extra rhubarb to the Daylesford Spring Festival on Saturday, May 21. “We will turn it into cordial, and serve it with other seasonal fruits and vegetables,” she said, adding that there will be serious tastings of Single Gloucester as well. She will point out just how seasons alter cheese and how the age of a cheese can affect its flavour. What you eat with your cheese changes its flavour too. Single Gloucester is a cheese, Juliet believes, best served with apples or pears.

The large number of food enthusiasts who attended the Chipping Norton Food Festival this year was impressive, and suggests that more and more people are becoming interested in local food.

To make contact with Juliet and discover more about Slow Food Cotswolds you can email her at slowfoodcotswolds@gmail.com or go to www.slowfood.org.uk To make the most of fresh local asparagus while the season lasts you can go to Medley Manor Farm, Binsey, where bunches of freshly-harvested asparagus are on sale on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Peach Croft Farm, Radley is harvesting fresh asparagus too, as are Q Gardens, near Steventon, and Rectory Farm at Stanton St John. The asparagus season usually closes in mid-June, but farmers believe it will be far shorter this year. This means you have only a couple of weeks to make the most of this wonderful vegetable. However, by the beginning of June the first of the British strawberries will be ready, followed by gooseberries, raspberries and so much more. Don’t miss out on all these wonderful flavours — as Juliet says they are what summer is all about.