British Asparagus
This week will feature British Asparagus, the finest Asparagus available to the UK Consumer, but only for a relatively short time.
In my opinion, British Asparagus, British Strawberries & British Strawberries are 'unmatched' for texture & flavour!
While my life has been dominated by apples, an appreciation of fine food is high in my loves in life
To quote George Bernard Shaw: "There is no love sincerer than than the love of food"
The English Apple Man and English Asparagus
Back in 1996, Victor Aveling of The Asparagus Growers Association approached ENFRU (The English Fruit Company) with a view to ENFRU marketing asparagus due to the lack of commitment (and financial return) from specialist Asparagus traders who supplied 12 months of the year with imported/UK mix.
At that time I was leading the technical team at ENFRU and with my commercial colleagues had to create a procedures and quality manual structure aligned to our existing procedures approved for Supermarkets. In addition I visited all the asparagus growers who were members of AGA to audit and advise on individual sites improvements needed to meet Supermarkets requirement standards.
I particularly remember visiting Victor and his wife with my commercial colleague Graham Basset and invited for lunch, encountered for the first time Mrs Aveling's home made 'asparagus soup' - verdant, delicious and after two bowls, possibly inducing mild symptoms of dyspepsia!
In 1976, March farmer Victor Aveling took the plunge and decided to shift away from growing potatoes, wheat and strawberries to growing asparagus.
Victor 'a larger than life' character was passionate about English as opposed to imported asparagus and wanted 'English to be recognised as superior and growers rewarded financially.
Andy Allen
Another grower who I particularly enjoyed visiting was Andy Allen at Portwood Asparagus in Norfolk.
Andy was back then a very progressive grower, his quality and presentation outstanding. But I particularly remember his asparagus packhouse which was set in an old 'Tudor barn' - 'talk about wow factor' - I could just imagine this scene photographed in a M&S magazine!
Rock on nearly 30 years and Andy Allen's business is one of the leading asparagus enterprises.
Unfortunately it was a 'one year adventure' as we (ENFRU) could not raise prices from Supermarkets and compete with established suppliers as they subsidised price of UK product from 10 month supply of cheaper imported product.
Victor Aveling on Asparagus circa 1996
"We specialise in open-field asparagus and don't use plastic, as this gives it a better taste.
"We do everything by hand, so it is a tremendous amount of work and expensive to produce, but we enjoy doing it this way."
The asparagus is grown on a rented 100-acre patch of land in Coldham, five miles away from the farm. It is picked from April to the Summer Solstice, never later, as the fern needs time to photosynthesise, Victor Aveling said.
In fact, after a crown is planted, the fern is left for three years before the asparagus is picked. During this time, there is no income from it.
On a typical day, a team of 20 workers assemble at 5am and spend the day picking asparagus. Every field needs to be picked every day.
With two supervisors looking on, they work in teams of six - five pick the asparagus and put it in piles for the sixth person, steering an electric cart, to collect. It's hard work, but there is a good spirit and camaraderie.
The day's yield, which can amount to several tonnes, is then transported to the packing house at the farm, where, with military precision, it is washed, cut, graded and wrapped up, ready to be taken away to suppliers. Many of the workers in the pack house have been at the farm for upwards of 20 years.
The bulk of the world's asparagus is produced in Peru and Mexico. In England, (circa 1966) there are about 100 asparagus growers, predominantly small farms with a few exceptions.
The key for the future of England's asparagus industry, Victor Aveling said, is to promote what makes British asparagus different from its competitors.
He said: "In Germany, they have really embraced their seasonal white asparagus. We've got to embrace what we can offer here. It's low mileage, seasonal, good quality and buying it will boost our economy.
"More and more people are eating asparagus, and it's extremely healthy, but there are still millions of people who have not tried it. There is an opportunity there."
British asparagus is packed full of goodness, so not only are you getting a delicious vegetable but a healthy one too:
Eating asparagus promotes healthy bacteria in the large intestine and can help reduce bloating
Asparagus contains vitamin K, essential for healthy blood clotting
It is a rich source of vitamin C, which boosts your immune system
Asparagus is a mild diuretic and is believed to help detoxify the body
Andy Allen
Andy Allen owns and runs the business today. After studying Agriculture at Writtle College in Essex for three years, he travelled extensively around the world researching asparagus production in a wide variety of countries and environments. He has been involved in the British Asparagus Growers Association for more than 30 years, including 5 years as Chairman.
Grading
The asparagus is then trimmed to remove any white or toughness at the base of the stem and graded by thickness. We grade and pack by thickness to ensure that it cooks perfectly evenly. The spears are graded using the latest camera imaging technology.
Packing
Our asparagus is predominantly bundled in 250g bunches, secured by rubber bands at the top and bottom of the bundle, finished with a branded wrap label with size and grade information.
Sizes range from the thickest "Jumbo" (18mm+), through Extra Select (16-18 mm), Select (12-16 mm), Choice (8-12 mm) and Sprue (6-8mm). We also pack kitchen grade, which is mixed sizing 8-12 mm and 12-20 mm, and is just a little bit bent or slightly open-headed.
Our graded asparagus can also be provided 'loose' in 3kg boxes. This is our standard and recognised packaging, but you can tell us exactly what you want and we can tailor our packing to your needs.
Click on: Portwood Asparagus
The English Apple Man Comments
Things change over thirty years, I am not sure the Aveling family are still involved with asparagus, but Andy Allen has clearly expanded Portwood Asparagus onto another level. While I have never visited them; The Chinn Family at Cobrey Farms are now one of the leading 'asparagus entrepreneurs' - developing techniques to extend the season with early product and later asparagus after the 'holy grail' of summer solstice.
Cobrey Farms are also hosting the 2024 British Asparagus Conference this year. British Asparagus Conference
Click on: Cobrey Farms Asparagus
That is all for this week
Take care
The English Apple Man