Asparagus is the most famous vegetable in the Vale & Spa area – so much so that there’s an entire season to celebrate it! For a limited period during the year, take advantage of locally grown produce that some say is the best tasting asparagus in the world. We’ll let you be the judge of that, so make sure you give it a go.
Between St George’s Day on 23 April to Midsummer’s Day on 21 June, it’s the Vale of Evesham Asparagus season. Although you can pick up local asparagus outside of this window, it’s generally perceived to be the best time at which to experience ‘Vale Gras’, as it’s affectionately known locally.
This precious vegetable is exclusive to this area having being granted protected food name status which specifically links it to a particular geographical area and indicates a certain level of quality. Asparagus grown in the Vale of Evesham is the only place to try this delicacy whether you decide to purchase it from one of the many local farm shops or visit one of the cafes and restaurants in the area that will be serving it.
To help connoisseurs find their way around the green ‘gras, we’ve put together this handy guide to give you the history of the area’s most famous vegetable as well and tips and advice on cooking it to get the best flavours.
If you don’t trust yourself with the cooking, you’ll find a list of places where you can enjoy it without the effort.
You’ll soon realise why it’s such a focal point of the local area!
Vale of Evesham Asparagus became more popular following the success of the famous asparagus auctions, at The Fleece Inn in Bretforton. Talks between tourism industry providers and local growers took place to decide how the area could capitalise on this popularity and “fill in” the week between the auctions at The Fleece with other asparagus related events.
In 2006, its first year, the festival attracted a lot of media interest and also many visitors to our area largely through the marketing efforts of The British Asparagus Growers Association. Plans for the 2007 festival progressed well, with festival friend and local celebrity Mr Henry Sandon MBE from BBC Antiques Roadshow opening the event. Celebrity chef Rachel Green became the face of the campaign and even attended the festival doing cookery demonstrations.
During the promotion of the 2007 event the Vale Asparagus Festival was being promoted by the media as “The British Asparagus Festival” and has been known by this name ever since. During this time, the festival was communicating with the Stockton Asparagus Festival in California – who were very interested in The Vale’s new venture. This was particularly exciting considering their festival is an enormous event worth many thousands of dollars to their local economy.
The Asparagus Man made his debut to the world at the opening event of the 2008 British Asparagus Festival in the Vale of Evesham. This larger than life character has gone on to be an ever-present figure at asparagus events.
Jemima Packington, is the world’s first and only Asparamancer, meaning she’s actually able to predict the future using nothing more than a handful of asparagus, by tossing the spears into the air and interpreting how they land. She has made dozens of accurate predictions in recent years, including Brexit, Royal births, celebrity scandals and many sporting achievements.
For social media updates on this years asparagus season please follow @thebritishasparagusfestival and @ValeandSpa on Facebook.
