Let’s all be grateful that when Carlo Petrini looked on in outrage at the sight of a McDonalds restaurant near the Spanish Steps in 1986, he decided to do something about it - and Slow Food was the result.

An internationally respected organisation with an understanding of gastronomy in relation to politics, agriculture and the environment, Slow Food has become an active and campaigning force, working to protect, promote and preserve authentic food and biodiversity.

Spreading the education of taste, and linking producers of excellent foods to consumers through events and initiatives is key to this work and happens at a local level through Slow Food Groups, or Convivia as they are known around the world.