British Asparagus Season

The British asparagus season begins in late April and continues until late June – it's the perfect time to enjoy this simple and delicious vegetable with its tender stem and spear. 

Asparagus is so easy to prepare – wash it and then hold each stem at either end, bend it until it snaps; the tough, woody section will break away and can be discarded.  You’re left holding the spear and the tender part of the stem.

To cook asparagus – asparagus can be cooked in various ways but is most often steamed.  The spear will cook quicker than the stem, so it’s best to use a tall steamer so that the asparagus can stand in the pot, with the spears furthest from the heat. Our Universal Pot is ideal, it’s tall and deep and has a straining basket, so it’s easy to lift out and drain the asparagus. 

Asparagus only needs to be steamed for about 5-6 minutes. For more advice on steaming asparagus read this by Delia.

Serve asparagus with melted butter or hollandaise sauce.  Here’s a recipe for hollandaise sauce from BBC Good Food.

Some asparagus facts for you…

• Asparagus was enjoyed by the Egyptian Pharaohs.
• Asparagus was brought to Britain by the Romans.
• Asparagus is a member of the lily family.
• Asparagus is typically green but can also be purple or red which will change to green when it’s cooked.
• Asparagus can be steamed, grilled, fried or boiled – however it’s cooked it won’t take long!
• Asparagus is best eaten as fresh as possible.
• If you need to store asparagus wrap the stems in damp paper towel, or you can stand the stems in a glass of water placed in the fridge.
• Asparagus is high in fibre and contains vitamins C, B2, E and K. It also contains iron, potassium, phosphorus and manganese.
• The British asparagus season usually starts in April and lasts, just a few weeks, to the end of June.

Enjoy the British asparagus season while it lasts!