Asparagus Tips

The English asparagus season is now upon us and in the Bramley household, we like to take full advantage of the short season. I’m not saying that we forgo the green spears throughout the rest of the year, but it’s never the same when you buy the imported stuff. English asparagus, picked in its prime and cooked within a day or two is one of life’s real luxuries and it’s actually healthy for you! Not something that can often be said for my edible favourites.

Asparagus is one of the simplest vegetables to prepare: you don’t need a knife, peeler or chopping board. Simply give the spears a quick rinse to remove any traces of soil, then snap off the bases. The woody part of the stem will bend, so just work your way up towards the tip and when you reach the tender part, it will break cleanly.

My top 5 asparagus best buys

Steamed - The freshest asparagus really benefits from simple cooking. This 20cm steamer from Procook is a great choice: the pan below is deep enough to boil the asparagus with the spears standing upright, so the tender tips steam gently above the water. Alternatively, cut the spears into shorter lengths and steam them in the insert above (was £102, now £49).

Raw - M&S stock English asparagus grown by the Chinn family in the Wye Valley. There are an amazing 8 million plants currently producing asparagus for M&S in the area and the sandy south facing slopes create a microclimate that extends the natural growing season by 6 weeks. The pretty Pacific Purple variety is tender enough to eat raw: slice thinly with a vegetable peeler and toss with salad leaves and some shaved parmesan.

Griddled - My favourite way of cooking asparagus is to brush it with oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, then griddle it for a few minutes on each side. No one makes griddle pans quite like Le Creuset and there’s 25% off the range at Debenhams at the moment (was £80, now £60).

Pampered - The best English asparagus deserves the best of British presentation. Pretty china plates aren’t just for cakes and pastries; pile this rectangular Royal Albert plate high with steaming hot spears to put this season’s harvest centre stage (was £40, now £30).

Revamped - Asparagus works brilliantly well with Asian flavours, as Giraffe in Festival Place proves with their new Yakitori Asparagus appetiser. The steamed spears are dressed with soy, honey and lime juice then sprinkled with wasabi and sesame seeds (£5.95). Seriously tasty!





If you can’t get enough of the green stuff, look out for my next post where I’ll be creating an asparagus recipe to celebrate National Vegetarian Week.

Happy nibbling!
Fiona B x