to add an item to your Itinerary basket..Wirral Asparagus Reaches New Heights (235 ft!)
29th April 2010
The freshest “asparagus nouveau” has been rushed from farm to forks around the North West region, to Michelin-starred restaurants and to the iconic Big One rollercoaster at Pleasure Beach Resort, Blackpool.
To celebrate the first English asparagus of the season, which officially starts on the 1st May, expert growers from the Wirral have delivered the first tasty tips to Northcote in Blackburn, Fraîche in Oxton, and Pleasure Beach Resort, Blackpool for their new Grill restaurant.
To celebrate the first English asparagus of the season, which officially starts on the 1st May, expert growers from the Wirral have delivered the first tasty tips to Northcote in Blackburn, Fraîche in Oxton, and Pleasure Beach Resort, Blackpool for their new Grill restaurant.
Claremont Farm’s Andy Pimbley, the 4th generation of a Wirral farming family, decided to brave the 85mph ride, the UK’s tallest roller coaster, to highlight the role farmers play in the region’s gastronomic economy, and to celebrate “haute cuisine” during Wirral’s Year of Food 2010. www.visitwirral.com/food.
Michelin star chefs, Northcote’s Nigel Haworth and Fraîche’s Marc Wilkinson, pride themselves on sourcing fresh local produce, giving their diners the very best experience whilst also sustaining rural businesses in the community.
Wirral asparagus is special because the Wirral has slightly higher temperatures than surrounding areas up North, but is still cooler than down South. This means the asparagus grows slightly more slowly and retains more of its flavour. The Peninsula is almost an island, embraced by the Dee, the Mersey and the Irish Sea, and asparagus loves a salty coastal climate. Plus the Wirral has two sandstone ridges running down the middle, giving the well-drained sandy soil in which asparagus thrives.
Check out www.british-asparagus.co.uk for everything you need to know about the versatile vegetable. It’s rich in vitamins, folic acid, iron and potassium, good for expectant mothers, low in calories and recognised by gastronomes and international chefs as a fresh product with which Britain leads the world. The season in May and June is short, so diners and shoppers are encouraged to enjoy English asparagus while it is around; it clocks up fewer food miles than year-round imports, and has a fresher “just-picked” flavour. Brief steaming or griddling are recommended and serve with butter or hollandaise sauce.
For further information about Claremont farm visit www.claremontfarm.co.uk. For further details on Restaurant Fraîche visit www.restaurantfraiche.com.
