Lure punters with the best of British produce

In the 1990s at Caledonian, organic hops came from Peter Hall in Kent and so did fantastic asparagus in the spring.

It was divvied up and further deliveries eagerly awaited. Imagine my recent disappointment when the shopping trip ended with no asparagus. Steamed, grilled, or barbecued, many stalks of asparagus have been consumed by the Crawleys this spring.

So why none now? Well, the Peruvian stuff, following the fantastic English crop, simply does not make the grade.

French cheese is revered — but now so are British cheeses. Recently there were 16 nationalities in the Caledonian sample cellar for dinner — many of them sided with the English host who stated that Scottish cheeses were superior to the French selection (the Frenchman disagreed).

We are told English wine is the equal of some of the finest French whites these days and — if global warming continues — that English sparkling wine might usurp Champagne.

Italians with Parmesan, Parma ham etc and the French with their Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée have a head start on us but Britain can be proud of its developing food and drink culture.

I grew up marvelling at northern cask beer — its tight creamy head and the lacing down the glass, and the pints of Boddingtons and Higsons are vivid memories as I sat waiting for my lift to polish off his pint after cricket.

There was real regionality — indeed not many beers made it out of their heartland, but moaning about beer miles in the UK falls way down the list compared to Parmesan cheese and Peruvian asparagus etc.

Remember the publicity Beaujolais Nouveau had — things move on, but there must be more opportunities to taste some great British produce and British beer, and celebrate it in the local pub.

The diversity of summer ales, winter warmers, porters etc, give the knowledgeable licensee the chance to really spice up his/her selection.

Alongside the pub's cask stalwarts, sprinkle some seasonality on your beer, and it must be a great combination to accompany seasonal British food and achieve the Holy Grail — enticing more punters to leave their armchairs and head to their local.

British barley, hops from home (and abroad) create wonderful British beers including cask beer (perfectly served) — it's the taste(s) that count(s).

Maybe 2012 will bring a beer to accompany British asparagus?

Stephen Crawley is managing director of Caledonian Brewing Co​