Chef whips up asparagus breakfast for start of season in Wirral

May 1 2009 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

IT WAS a race against the clock to get the season’s first asparagus from the field to the table for an unusual breakfast. Wirral has become increasingly important for asparagus growing in recent years, with its warmer micro-climate suiting the expensive vegetable.

The season only lasts for a short time – from May to the middle of June – so producers of this local speciality have a high demand.

Yesterday, a special breakfast held at the Hillbark Hotel, in Frankby, ensured guests had the freshest taste of the first batches, as producers John Jones, Claremont Farm and Church Farm Organics rushed their asparagus across Wirral to chef Moya Benson.

He created a special menu to celebrate the start of the season for the exclusive crop, which is also grown extensively around Formby.

The breakfast consisted of Wirral-based produce, and included perfect asparagus spears, egg poached in a shell, bacon, Chorizo homemade sausage, broadbeans, black pudding, button mushrooms and cherry tomatos “dehydrated and intensified”.

Emma Degg, head of tourism and marketing for Wirral Council, said: “This celebration of asparagus is a fantastic mark this year helping to launch the 2009 Wirral Food and Drink Festival.

“It highlights Wirral's quality food offer, which we will showcase, with Wirral's food experts, as part of our Wirral's Year of Food in 2010.”