Hooray ! Local Asparagus is here in Shropshire

Anthony J Sargeant is celebrating the arrival of the first local Shropshire grown asparagus with a beautiful light Quiche, complemented with a wild garlic and potato salad and some mixed salad. All decorated with delicately flavoured purple chive flowers.The asparagus comes from a farm a few miles away in Bridgnorth and is incredibly sweet – it is worth waiting for the season of home grown asparagus – the super markets amazingly are still trying to sell asparagus flown in from Peru (all the year round) which does not compare to the real thing! It really is waiting and eating only when it is in season here in England.

The First Swallow of Spring – 17th April 2016 – Shropshire, UK

Yesterday Anthony Sargeant saw a lone swallow swooping around close to the banks of The River Corve below the house. It seems very early in the year but there it was.

Wild Turbot is a wonderful eating fish

Anthony J Sargeant bought this super fresh wild Turbot from “Sea Breeze” an outstanding wet fish shop in Nantwich, Cheshire a couple of weeks ago. It was caught by a day-boat off the Cornish coast of South-West England. It was a good size yielding four large and delicious fillets as well as a sizeable roe. The wet fish shop is highly recommended by Tony. The fish was beautiful and fresh and absolutely delicious when cooked.

A wonderful large Hake ready for filleting

Hake is a fish which Anthony Sargeant thinks is vastly under-appreciated by the British. It seems that most Hake landed in British Ports gets immediately exported to Spain and France. This beautiful bright-eyed fresh Hake was bought in the wet-fish shop “Sea Breeze” in Nantwich, Cheshire. Carefully filleted it will yield many thick portions for cooking. The flesh has an unusual slightly ‘squidgy’ soft texture when raw but it firms up into large flakes on cooking. It is in the view of many superior to Cod – although it is a member of the same family.