Beautiful British asparagus is only around for a few precious weeks. So to make the most of this super home-grown veg, the chefs who cook in the lovely little pubs run in Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and further afield by Peach have not only found a fantastic crop 'grown with love' near the Sussex coast, but also come up with a novel way of serving it.
They have launched 'Dip Your Own' asparagus where you can dip the best of British asparagus into a pot of delicious home-made Hollandaise sauce, grated egg and Parmesan.
Soft, free-range egg combined with the slightly sharp, nutty taste of Parmesan and a classic Hollandaise make for a fantastic flavour combination given a new twist – and everything comes on your own individual board so all you have to do is dip, and enjoy.
The asparagus they are serving comes from the small farm owned by John Barfoot and his family in Botley, Sussex, on the South Coast where the micro climate is as warm as anywhere in Britain. Here, each tender spear is treated to the long, high light levels and the warm soils which make for the best, most delicious asparagus you can get your hands on.
“The reason we love sourcing our asparagus from Barfoots is because they, like us, do things properly and don't take shortcuts,” says Hamish Stoddart, co-founder of Oxfordshire-based Peach. “This means they grow their vegetables with a considerate approach to nature, farming holistically and reducing their carbon footprint. They reuse all their crop and food waste, converting it to green electricity to sell back to the National Grid, and they dig home-made compost into their soil. They firmly believe that happy soil equals happy veg.
“So when it comes to their asparagus, you can't find better. Not only is it grown slowly, it's grown with love and harvested totally by hand. After we had our first bite, we couldn't have agreed more – it was really a taste explosion and we couldn't wait to get it back to our pubs and serve it to our guests,” he says.
So from now until the end of the British asparagus season, guests can enjoy this fantastic home-grown produce in an exciting new way.
“Once you've tried it, you won't be able to stop dipping!” says Hamish. “But don't delay – Dip Your Own Asparagus is only available in our pubs from now until the end of the season, so come and enjoy the best and freshest of this great British crop with us today.”
