Pub goes asparagus-mad with four-course seasonal feast
Ben Dulley, head chef at the Ebrington Arms, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, served the four-course menu to diners on Tuesday 7 June.
The meal began with crispy bread-crumbed canapés of asparagus spears with taramasalata and asparagus custard with St George's mushrooms and air-dried ham, which were followed by lemon-poached asparagus and Jersey Royals with sole and hollandaise for the main course and orange posset with candied asparagus and Garibaldi biscuit to finish.
Dulley, who recently moved to the Ebrington Arms from acclaimed Cotswolds gastropub the Kingham Plough, said: "It went really well – we had a lot of the locals in."
Dulley's asparagus feast:
- Bread-crumbed asparagus spears with taramasalata
- Asparagus custard with St George's mushrooms and air-dried ham
- Lemon-poached asparagus with Jersey Royals potatoes and hollandaise
- Orange posset with candied asparagus and Garibaldi biscuit
Quality above everything
He added: "I believe in quality above everything and part of that means using local produce when it's good. If you can get something brilliant from down the road then it's a no brainer to use as much of that thing as you can.
The chef sourced asparagus for the evening from the nearby Drinkwaters farm.
Dulley added: "Their asparagus is now in full flow and it was a celebration of that. There are very few dishes you can put on a menu that are vegetarian but appeal to a whole load of other people and asparagus is one of those things that people don't see as just a veggie option.
"It's something everyone wants when it's about and you have to get in as much as you can."
Varied experience
Despite focusing on a single ingredient, Dulley said with the right care and cooking methods diners would still be in for a varied experience.
"For starters, it's a one-off menu – people are coming because they want the asparagus experience.
"But then it's about changing the textures, changing the flavours that go with it to make sure that each dish is different and the whole thing has balance. We didn't repeat a cooking method with any of the asparagus through the whole menu."
The UK's asparagus season begins every year at the end of April and continues until around the end of June. It grows best in regions that experience cool winters.
Average wholesale prices range from £7 - £8 per kilo in the height of the season, rising to £13 - £15 off season.
Grow your own
Asparagus needs to be planted in the early spring.
It usually requires three growing seasons until it will be ready to harvest. However, occasionally it can be harvested after two.
Once the vegetable's unmissable spears begin to show, it's ready to harvest. Following this, it's best to allow the plant's ferns to grow. This lets the asparagus gather vital nutrients for the next year.
Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac
