A FIELD in Cheshire was the setting for an unusual dining experience to mark the start of the asparagus season.
The thin green vegetable is known to help arthritis, cancer and heart disease and if that wasn’t enough it’s also thought to be an aphrodisiac.
So award-winning chef Dave Mooney rustled up a lunch using fresh asparagus picked from the ground only moments before at Cherry Orchard Farm, near Delamere.
A hand-picked selection of gourmet diners, including Jane Casson, Made in Cheshire co-ordinator for Reaseheath College, enjoyed the asparagus with produce from across the region, including Cheshire Crabtree cheese, Cheshire Smokehouse bacon, and an olive oil and balsamic dressing, blended in Ellesmere Port.
Jane Casson said: “We are fortunate to have some of the finest asparagus in the UK here in Cheshire. Fresh asparagus is delicious and with the season only lasting about six weeks to the summer, demand is extremely high, with more than £16 million spent on asparagus across the UK.
“Asparagus itself is a wonder-veg, able to produce for 15 years without being replanted and providing a good source of protein, vitamins A and B, calcium, iron and folic acid. Calorie conscious asparagus is less than four calories a spear. When choosing asparagus remember a larger diameter is a sign of good quality.
Cherry Orchard Farm’s 38 acres can produce more than 40,000 crowns of asparagus, but the process of production is no easy task.
Richard Wilding, owner of the farm, eats the asparagus every day to check its quality. His team of workers then pick the asparagus as early in the day as possible, as the spears grow three to four inches a day. The yield is then sold to top restaurants and visitors to the farm.
