English asparagus

One of our best known and loved seasonal crops, English asparagus is worth waiting for. We get ours from growers in Yorkshire, Cheshire and Formby, bringing it into Booths stores as soon as the crop is ready. The fresh, delicate flavour of the spears is shown off to best advantage with brief cooking; lightly steam or boil them, then dress with melted butter or hollandaise sauce to enjoy as they are or serve with grilled fish. Even the trimmings are precious. Use them for a simple soup, finished with a swirl of cream.