Asparagus

The budded stem or spear from a large member of the lily family. Old names for it include ‘sparrow-grass’. It is still called ‘grass’ by the trade. Short British season, mostly English (from East Anglia and southern counties, with some from the Midlands and Scotland’s east coast). Imports available year-round, although hardly ever as superb, from Spain, France, USA, Chile and Australia. Finger-thick, green varieties have the best flavour; the bland, very thick, white varieties popular in France are rarely available here. Pencil-thin stems, called sprue, tend to be cheaper, taste good and are also suitable for stir-frying, soups etc. Wild asparagus is very small, can be eaten raw and has a fine, sweet flavour. Very little gets into this country, available only in specialist shops (or buy it in season on spring trips to the Continent).