Rejoice in May’s delicious harvest of asparagus, says Judith Taylor, our voice of farming from Ludham.
May sees the start of the short asparagus season so we must be sure to make the most of it. Over the years I have heard many grumble that it is expensive, but we must take into account that it takes three years to establish, is quite difficult to grow and extremely labour intensive – it all has to be harvested by hand. Personally, I think it’s worth every penny!
Honor at Thistlefield (www.thistlefield.co.uk) makes delicious soup from asparagus sourced only a few miles from her kitchen. The soups can be frozen so you can stock up and enjoy it out of season too. Honor also uses the asparagus as a filling for her filo tarts along with Mrs Temple’s Cheese or smoked salmon from Willie Weston in Blakeney. Add in some Jersey Royals and salad leaves, and you have the perfect lunch to enjoy in the spring sunshine with friends.You can track down Honor at Creake Farmers’ Market on the first Saturday of the month or her products – of which there are many – are available in farm shops throughout Norfolk. See her website for a list of outlets.
