Pub embraces asparagus season

ONE local pub made the most of this year’s healthy asparagus crop by cooking up a menu that includes the vegetable in every dish – including pudding.

The Ebrington Arms celebrated the asparagus season with the Asparagus Feast Night at The Ebrington Arms on Tuesday, 7th June.

On the night, customers tucked into a four-course menu based around the green vegetable.

Crispy breadcrumbed canapés of asparagus spears with taramasalata, and asparagus custard with St George’s mushrooms and air-dried ham were enjoyed for starters; followed by lemon-poached asparagus and Jersey royals with sole and hollandaise for mains; finishing with orange posset with candied asparagus and Garibaldi biscuit for dessert.

The menu was created by the pub’s new head chef, Ben Dulley, who has recently joined the team from The Kingham Plough.

Claire Alexander, who owns the Ebrington Arms with her husband Jim, said: “We are so lucky where our pub is in the North Cotswolds because we are surrounded by the best asparagus growers in the whole of the country.

"Not only are we right next to the Vale of Evesham, we have Drinkwaters on our doorstep in Ebrington village so our chefs always get very first dibs on produce.

“Often we can have produce on the plate the same day it’s picked from one of the fields surrounding the pub.”

According to the British Asparagus Growers Association the season runs from 23rd April to 21st June, although it is weather dependent.

Asparagus is a member of the lily family and has been grown in England since the 16th-century.