We are now spoilt for choice with an array around the county, and even three this month, says Helen Peacocke

Food festivals are now a major leisure activity with a plethora of them held annually across the county. And this weekend there are no fewer than three local food festivals to choose from.

Let’s start with Witney. When the organisers staged the first festival in St Mary’s Church on Church Green three years ago they had no idea if their idea would work. They need not have worried. From the moment the festival opened crowds of food enthusiasts surged into the church to check out the impressive range of local food prepared by artisan producers.

This year Chris Keating, marketing manager of Wychwood Brewery, will officially open Witney’s Food Festival at 10am on Saturday and invites us to raise our glasses and drink to the festival’s continued success.

“Witney was once famous for the three b’s — blankets, beer and bread — and all of us at the brewery are proud to continue the tradition of brewing in the town. There’s nothing like enjoying a pint of locally-brewed Hobgoblin in our wonderful town. The festival brings together many suppli-ers of local produce but just as importantly it brings together the community.”

Food-wise at the Witney Festival you can expect a cooking skills tent on Church Green where you can learn how to fillet fish, make pizza dough and prepare crayfish under the watchful eye of Mark Lees, of Crayfish Capers, who is as committed to conservation as he is to good food.

Youngsters will be catered for in their own dedicated Children’s Tent with farm- and food-linked activities. They will get a chance to milk a cow, make their own butter and decorate biscuits too. There are also 70 food stalls to choose from.

Tickets to the festival at £2 each are available at the door from 9.30am, children go free. Visit witneyfoodfestival.co.uk Daylesford’s Summer Festival will also take place on Saturday from 10am-5pm. Entry is free and this year Daylesford’s festival theme is Celebrate Organic, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the farm with market garden tours and guided walks. There will also be a question and answer session in the Straw Barn entitled Why Organic?

Demonstrations at the Daylesford Cookery School will be taking place with special guests chefs Madeleine Shaw and Rose Prince, as well as Blanche Vaughan who will be signing copies of her latest book Egg.

Dogs are welcome to this festival. One of the highlights of the festival is always the Lily’s Kitchen Dog Show where your pet can take part in one of the many competitions organised for them, including Waggiest Tail and Best Dressed dog. For further details visit daylesford.com

For those in the south of Oxfordshire, the Wallingford Food Festival is also taking place this weekend at Bridge Villa Camping and Caravan Park. This festival, which is also in its infancy, boasts an excellent line-up of local food producers. The organisers are working to provide more raw goods for people to take home and cook. Their plan is to create a covered market area selling fruits, vegetables and meat. To allow for the diversity of tastes Wallingford Festival will also host a variety of international dishes all created by local chefs and available within a 30-miles radius.

Last year the Wallingford food festival won a silver medal in the 2014 South East’s Beautiful South Awards for the Tourist Event of the year. This year organisers are hard at work cooking up a mouth-watering programme for this year’s two day event (May 16 and 17) with their sights firmly set on winning gold this year. For further details visit wallingfordfoodfestival.co.uk

Blenheim Palace is hosting a food festival from May 23-25 when the best in local and regional produce will be on show. Set in the palace grounds, the festival will be a showcase for artisan food and drinks producers, featuring the best in local and regional produce, through cookery demos, children’s workshops, talks and scores of stalls. Aspiring chefs of all ages can look forward to learning a thing or two from local cookery schools and chefs as well as talks and children’s workshops delivered across the three days. There is also a traditional hay bale-filled picnic area where families can eat and relax in the palace grounds. Visit blenheimpalace.com

Future local summer food festival dates to add to the diary include the Oxford Wine Festival held in the Oxford Union in August (oxfordwinefestival.org), the Foodies Festival, which returns to Oxford’s South Park on August 29- 31, celebrating its 10th anniversary with a three-day feast of Michelin-star and celebrity chefs, award-winning artisan producers, food and drink masterclasses and more street food than you can shake a satay stick at. Call 0844 995 1111 or visit foodiesfestival.com

And finally, perhaps the biggest success story, this year’s Thame Food Festival which takes place on Saturday September 26. Details at thamefoodfestival.co.uk

Now your only problem is choosing which one to go to.