Celebrating British Asparagus Season

The first green spears of fresh asparagus have arrived at our farm shop. This unique British crop can be savoured for a fleetingly short season, and it is always worth the anticipation. Deliciously delicate, with a unique flavour, asparagus needs little adornment. We enjoy preparing it in our restaurants and sharing simple recipes that celebrate its natural flavour.

First of the season

The very early asparagus we receive is grown locally under cover, to ensure the plants are protected from frost and enjoy warm, even conditions. It is only when the soil has warmed up sufficiently that asparagus is grown in rigid beds in April and open fields from May by our main supplier, Wykham Park.

The importance of provenance

Local to Daylesford, our asparagus supplier is a family run farm in its fifth generation who use traditional, sustainable methods. At their farm, the asparagus “is planted by hand using an old onion set planter, picked by hand then washed, graded and bundled by hand - with zero technology!” says their director Lizzie Colgrave.  

We aren’t able to grow asparagus here at Daylesford Farm as it requires a vast dedicated space, an initial three years to produce spears and specific conditions. Our trusted supplier has an 80-acre site with a light clay loam soil and “it’s the extra minerals found in the clay” which Lizzie believes helps give their asparagus “more flavour.” 

Sharing our ethos for farming as naturally as possible, Wykham Park has also been awarded a Leaf Accreditation - an assurance of their sustainably farmed products.

Enjoy at its best

Asparagus season traditionally runs for eight short weeks from St George’s Day on 23rd April to Summer Solstice on 21st June. It’s a truly seasonal crop. 

During this time, you can enjoy white, green and purple asparagus varieties grown in Britain. Purple asparagus is best enjoyed raw and green asparagus is best simply cooked so that it’s subtle but distinctive flavour is not overpowered. Discover how with our Three Ways with Asparagus recipes.

Plant profile

Asparagus is a perennial plant, and it is the young, tender shoots or spears that are cooked and eaten. After the plants are harvested – always by 21st June by our supplier - the spears are left to grow into ferns. They naturally return their energy to the soil in the autumn, where it’s stored by the plant’s (root) crown ready to reinvigorate new growth for the next year’s harvest.

RECIPES