The hot Easter weather has brought out the Asparagus – which is delivered to our door directly from Pete and Sophie’s farm near Rogate. English asparagus is hard to beat, delicious raw, steamed, boiled or grilled (try it on the BBQ). It’s superb on it’s own, (a simple lunch with a poached egg, toast and grated Old Winchester Cheese) or in salads. Asparagus is £3 per bunch or £5 for two bunches.
Gavin will be running a lunchtime special of Grilled Asparagus on toast with poached egg and homemade hollandaise sauce (£8.50).
While the season depends on the weather (colder weather extends the season), you have about 6 weeks to enjoy this seasonal special, so make it count. The reason why it’s so delicious? Once you pick asparagus, the natural sugars start turning to starch, so the fresher it is, the sweeter it tastes. If you are buying asparagus that has been shipped from Peru, it will be suffering from jet lag, devoid of flavour and looking a bit knackered.
So buy plenty of perky Rogate asparagus during the season and make the most of it.
Other notable local veg that is now in season includes:
- Hampshire Rhubarb
- Tangmere Peppers
- Isle of Wight Tomatoes
- Wild Garlic
- Hairspring Watercress from Hambrook