Somerfield is claiming to be the first retailer home in the race to get British-grown asparagus onto shelves.
Customers will be able to pick up fresh British asparagus tips thanks to the use of an underground water heating system, trialed by grower Steve McGuffie, right, from Staffordshire.
The system simulates a premature spring, as the soil warms earlier, and brings forward stem initiation. This is the first time this system has been used for asparagus cultivation in the UK, the retailer claimed.
McGuffie said: “With the introduction of this new growing technique we have been able to hit the UK market six weeks earlier than usual. We have started harvesting asparagus tips as the air temperature inside our tunnels is still not quite warm enough to produce spears, but if the weather improves next week then we should have spears available as well.”
Somerfield’s category buyer for vegetables, John Feege, said: “We work closely with our suppliers to ensure we offer customers high-quality, seasonal British produce for as long as possible. By extending the traditional asparagus season using this unique method our customers can celebrate the highlight of the culinary year over a month early.”
