Strawberries Galore!
Seasonal Foods and Food Festivals in June

June is a wonderful month for fresh food. The asparagus season is in full swing, the new potatoes begin to arrive in the shops, the first broad beans make their appearance and it's time for Wimbledon. And in England, Wimbledon means strawberries.

I'm certainly biased, but for my money English asparagus and English strawberries are the best in the world. Not that I can explain why that should be so, but their taste is better than anything else you're likely to come across.

The first of the English strawberries tend to come from the Isle of Wight or the county of Kent.

And whenever we make an early June trip to Norfolk to spend a week consuming indecent quantities of freshly cut asparagus, there are usually fresh local strawberries for pudding.

Properly ripe and warm from the sun, they don't need sugar - just a generous dollop of thick clotted cream.

You could, of course, sprinkle them with sugar and dribble them with balsamic vinegar, but that's something I reserve for slightly underripe fruit, which need a little more zing.

But here's an idea you really should try ... strawberry sandwiches.

In one of his River Cottage programs, Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall contributes to a traditional cricket tea, and these were one of his offerings.

Don't be put off by the idea sounding a bit strange. I promise the taste will convert you. Butter slices of fresh white bread and cover with thickly sliced strawberries. If you've just picked them, so much the better. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of black pepper, cover with another slice of bread and cut into triangles or squares.

For something so basic, strawberry sandwiches taste surprisingly decadent. And they look fab, too.

On the other hand, June is a month for main course salads:

• Jersey Royals with griddled asparagus and a soft boiled egg
• Poached salmon and fresh watercress
• New potatoes and watercress with a chilli-lemon dressing
• Griddled asparagus or the first broad beans with rocket, pomodorino tomatoes and fresh goats cheese

Limits are set by your imagination alone ...

June is also a good month for following the food festivals trail, with much going on around the country. Strangely enough, I haven't come across a strawberry festival yet. I wonder why?

The BBC Good Food Summer Festival

More a show than a food festival, The BBC Good Food Summer Festival is this year held from June 16th to June 20th at the NEC in Birmingham. I'd recommend you book your tickets early as it will be crowded. It usually is.

The show covers a huge range of topics from growing your own, to slow food, to beers of the world. Plus the usual live demonstrations by top chefs and tasty samples of anything from bread to ice cream.

The World Stinging Nettle Eating Championships

Not precisely a food festival, either, but this sounds like really good, old-fashioned fun, centred around the Bottle Inn in Marshwood, Dorset.

The contest which is now in its 12th year apparently started with a throwaway comment, when ex-Guardsman Alex Williams entered a 15'6" long nettle for the 'longest nettle' contest. "If anyone beats that, I'll eat it!" he's reported to have said. Apparently, somebody did, and Alex Williams started the nettle eating tradition.

The Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival

Held between the 18th and 20th June at Cheltenham's Montpellier Gardens, the Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival promises a line-up of the most tantalising food and beverage producers in the county.

From the latest kitchen gadets to real ale and cider, from jams and jellies to hog roast ... this food festival will be fab. Tickets are £5 and - provided the weather plays ball - you can spend all day in the garden, sampling the food, listening to music and tasting the ale!