We came across the Farmcote Herbs and Chilli Pepper Farm quite unexpectedly, walking an uphill bridlepath from the ruins of Hailes Abbey, to the little hamlet of Farmcote, which is set in one of the most beautiful parts of the Cotswolds.

There it was at the top of the hill, a small nursery, with an outlook towards the Malvern Hills and Black Mountains of Wales. Farmcote consists of just two farms, six houses and a very pretty little Saxon church, with the Cotswold Way running down to Hailes Abbey. The nursery is run by the hard-working husband and wife team Tim Hand and Jane Eayrs, who say the view from their home next door is so beautiful that it keeps them up late during warm summer evenings.

The range of herbs for sale numbers more than 200 — at least 30 of them chilli types, most of which they planted from seeds, or raised from cuttings in the spring. Once the plants are about four inches tall, they are potted up into individual pots, then moved to their final containers when they reach ten inches. They are fed on tomato fertiliser to encourage more growth when they begin to flower, then moved to the polytunnels when the temperature rises above 10C. Chillies do not respond well to high winds or heavy rain. Slugs and snails can damage the plants, too, but if they are treated with care some can live for at least three years.

Some chillies are mild and only slightly peppery; others will leave you gasping for water, though Jane says milk is best for calming their heat.

This delightful nursery is not large — indeed it used to be their vegetable garden — but the popularity of their herbs, which they sold at local farmers’ markets spurred them on to turn a hobby into a business.

Their love affair with chillies began when Jane visited the Hampton Court Flower Show and fell for the colourful array of chilli plants she saw there. Now their nursery looks equally colourful at this time of the year. The delightful thing is that their prices are modest.

Jane said that they had no idea there were so many different chilli plants. While getting to know how to handle them proved a harsh learning curve, she is now cultivating them with confidence and attracting customers from nearby Winchcombe and walkers like Caroline Crazer, my dog and I who had driven from Oxford.

Unfortunately, taking plants home with us during that visit proved difficult as we had a couple of miles to walk before we got back to the car. Caroline did manage to carry a few herbs, but not as many as she would have liked, so we have arranged to visit Farmcote during the Bank Holiday weekend (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) to stock up with more.

This is when Tim and Jane will be staging their annual Chilli Festival, which attracts chilli enthusiasts in their hundreds. Initially we planned to take a picnic with us, but when Jane explained what they had arranged, I doubt we will bother. There will be Cotswold ice cream, chilli sausages and burgers, chilli muffins and lavender scones. Stanway, their local brewery, which is one of only two log-fired breweries in the country, will be setting up a beer tent too, selling their summer brew Colleswold (from an old name for the Cotswolds). This amazing brewery, which is situated between Winchcombe and Broadway, can be found in one of the most attractive manor houses in the Cotswolds, dating back to Elizabethan times when a brewhouse was often included in the building.

The brewery lay idle for many years, until it was resurrected by brewer Alex Pennycook. Integrated into the brewhouse are two coppers built over log fires, although the rest of the equipment has been newly installed.

The thought of standing at the top of a hill that overlooks the Malvern Hills, while sipping a local brew and munching on a chilli sausage supplied by Studley Hill Farm, excites me greatly. No doubt it will be another of those remarkable taste experiences I’ll remember for some time to come. As there will also be other stalls selling local produce, chilli dips, chilli chocolate, chutneys, chilli-flavoured oils and Bhut Jolokia sauce, as well as items for children, it seems that Tim and Jane have thought of everything.

Should you wish, you can walk up the single track road from Hailes Abbey, which is under a mile away, or approach the nursery by car from the Winchcombe direction and park in a nearby field. (Winchombe is just three-and-a-half miles away). The A436 that passes Bourton-on-the-Water will get you there too.

Jane assures me that there will be plenty of signposts directing both the walker and the driver.

For further information and exact directions go to http://farmcoteherbs.co.uk or phone 01242 603860.