Ronda Merritt's asparagus
The recent good weather means that Yorkshire asparagus is already in the shops a week or so earlier than usual and as the season is short, ending on midsummer day on 24th June when growers stop harvesting so that the plants can build up energy for next year, you need to get going.
We have some great producers in Yorkshire. Anyone driving between Harewood and Harrogate will see the sign outside Richard Snowden’s farm at Wharfedale Grange. Open every day 10am-6pm they operate a drive-through asparagus shop where you can pick up lovely bunches of daily picked asparagus for a fiver.
The Spilman family sell their asparagus in 400g bundles from Lodge Farm, Helperby throughout the season and at Low Moor Farm, Sand Hutton, Ronda Morritt has 12 acres under asparagus. Most of it ends up on the plates of Yorkshire’s best restaurants, but if you’re quick you can buy it at the farm gate. Follow signs to Sand Hutton on the A64 east of York.
To cook asparagus, Annie Stirk who runs the food PR and marketing company, Absolutely Food, has given us some of her lovely asparagus recipes. Follow them on our recipe pages