Driving into the little town of Sierra de Yeguas a few kilometres from Campillos, we were greeted with the graceful statue of a white horse at its entrance. For Sierra de Yeguas literally means ‘Mountain range of the Fillies’, or female horses. A picturesque name for a very charming village, though it sounds much better in Spanish. Suddenly we found ourselves in the main street, a riot of colour, music, fun and of course….asparagus!

This year’s 8th asparagus festival of Sierra de Yeguas was a resounding success. It was held in the main square on what must have been the warmest day of the year so far. A perfect day, with a gentle cooling breeze.

From the brightly coloured bunting strung out over the streets to the bouncy castle at the top end of the square, the scene was set for a rollickingly good bit of Spanish fun! People had come from far and wide to sample the free asparagus tortilla (omelette), of which there was fortunately a seemingly endless supply. You just bought a beer, and the tortillas and bread just kept coming. Wonderful!

Round the paella stall though, it was serious stuff. Over by the town hall massive paellas were being cooked. People were calling out to the hardworking cooks and there was such a frenzied counting out of plastic plates, such a high-speed dishing up! A forest of frantically waving hands were grabbing out to snatch the plates of paella as fast as they came, like there was no tomorrow. A kind of mass hysteria overtook the crowd in their eagerness for a plate of free paella! But what fun it all was. Needless to say, we were part of that frenetic crowd. And in the end we were rewarded with not one, but TWO servings of paella! Bring it on!

After this a leisurely stroll round the varied stalls set up in the square proved more relaxing. There was a wide range of produce on offer. Many of the stalls were selling local cheeses (goat and sheep cheese), and ‘charcuterie’ meats of the region. There were plenty of divine cheeses to sample, as well as local sausage. A bunch of local asparagus of uncertain weight for one euro was a ‘must’, and a wedge of goat’s cheese.

Great! Now I can make my own asparagus tortilla plus a few eggs of course, and throw in a bit of that fabulous cheese! But no, that cheese really has to be savoured in thin slices with a bit of fresh bread and a glass of good wine to really appreciate it at its best.

We were intrigued by the ‘Zurrapa’-a spread made of chorizo and FAT to spread on your bread at breakfast, instead of marmalade! Rather some one else than me!…though I’m sure it must be delicious, for it seems to be extremely popular. We were left speechless by the slabs of pig fat for sale, and fat with maybe just one, or if you were lucky even two streaks of bacon somewhere in the middle! Helps to make a fabulous soup they said. Well, actually it does, I’ve tried it. In soup made by a Spanish person not me, you understand! It’s a good old fashioned ingredient. In any case it’s only some of the younger generation who are starting to get obese these days on fast food they say, rather than on traditional fare like this. Isn’t it?

Aside from the fat though, (food for thought) we found that you could buy local organic olive oil, leather jewellery, handbags, scarves and all manner of colourful junk for the kids. We were fascinated by the ceramics and stained glass stall. But the highlight for us was the stall where live birds were on display, including owls and falcons. I loved the owls. Big-eyed and solemn they regarded us with regal disdain, turning their heads right round at an incredible 90 degrees as they did so! Big unblinking yellow eyes and green eyes like a cat. Wonderful! Shivery! Try and stroke one if you dare. If you’re gentle you will be tolerated. But if you’re not then watch out, they’ll have you in a flash!

If you felt like a dance after all this excitement, a band was playing and a troupe of local folk musicians added to the ambience, strolling around the area playing traditional tunes. It would have been quite easy to join in the dancing, but maybe our British reserve made us hesitate. A few more beers and we might have done!

The whole event started at 1.00 pm and a couple of hours later every café and bar, and every stall was thronged with people, many of them like us from neighbouring towns and villages. By 4.00 pm though, things were just beginning to wind down. We sat casually on a wall in the warm spring sunshine enjoying our last drink, and looking up at the church spire and the colourful bunting over our heads. What a picture it made, and what a delightful afternoon we had enjoyed.

The Festival of Asparagus (or Espárrago) of Sierra de Yeguas takes place once a year towards the end of April. Make a date in your diary for next year!