Celebrate the Vale of Evesham’s harvest on the GWSR Asparagus Express this April 18th. Enjoy a steam train journey from Broadway with fresh produce, themed food, and "Gus the Asparagus Man."
Green ‘gras’ to travel on the Asparagus Express from Broadway
‘Gus the Asparagus Man’ and friends to entertain visitors
Trip promotes protected-status Vale asparagus
The Vale of Evesham’s protected food name-status asparagus is fast approaching its traditional growing season. To celebrate this year’s crop, spears of the precious green ‘gras’ will travel on the steam-hauled ‘Asparagus Express’ train from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s (GWSR) Broadway station at 12.50 on Saturday 18th April, returning from Cheltenham Racecourse at 14.10.
The trip, organised by the British Asparagus Festival Community Interest Company (CIC) and the GWSR, supported by Worcestershire’s Vale & Spa, will celebrate the long history of the UK’s premier asparagus growing area. The event will feature Gus the Asparagus Man and Asparagus Evie. Nigel Smith, landlord of the National Trust-owned Fleece Inn at Bretforton and Chairman of the British Asparagus Festival CIC, will be selling fresh rounds of asparagus from local growers to travellers. There will also be asparagus themed dishes available in the onboard catering and at The Cotswold Halt Café At Toddington Station.
Nigel Smith explains: “On St George’s Day, the official start of the British Asparagus Festival, the first ‘hundred round of gras’ is auctioned in aid of charity and taken on a different promotional trip each year. A few years ago, this included a journey on the GWSR’s steam trains, which was so popular that we have decided to make this an annual special celebration.
“Steam trains and asparagus are equally popular. This a great way to celebrate both and to promote this very special crop and encourage people to make sure they buy British.”
The GWSR’s public relations officer, added: “This will also be a reminder of the time when hundreds of tons of Vale asparagus were taken to market from stations such as Toddington on the Great Western Railway’s Stratford-upon-Avon – Cheltenham line, on part of which the present-day GWSR operates.”
At one time, the railway played a significant role in enabling fruit and vegetable farmers in the Vale get their products to market, the trains ensuring that they arrived in the freshest possible condition. There was once a large packing shed at Toddington station, where products such as asparagus, soft fruits, Pershore plums, apples, cherries and pears were packed, labelled and loaded into in special railway vans.
Whilst local production has declined against competition from imports (including asparagus from as far away as Peru), it is enjoying a resurgence as buyers look for the outstanding quality and taste of indigenous British produce. However, train transport had ended by the early 1960s in favour of road haulage.
Ian Crowder added: “Our railway is very keen to support local producers and the interest that our visitors show in this wonderful Vale product is a great way to do that.”