In Ancient Greece, the pomegranate was the traditional representation of fertility. This is because pomegranate had a key role in the Greek myth of Persephone; the myth which explains the origin of the seasons!

According to the myth, beautiful Persephone, daughter of Demeter, the Goddess of Harvest, was kidnapped by Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. Her mother Demeter, heart-broken by the loss of her daughter, started crying and crying and in her grief neglected her role as nourisher of the earth, and life began to wither away.

Zeus, the King of the Gods, could not leave the earth to die and commanded Hades to release Persephone. The rules of the Underworld forbade anybody from consuming any food or drink or they would spend an eternity there. Before Persephone could be released she was tempted by Hades into eating a few pomegranate seeds. This marked the end of her life on earth, as the rules of the Underworld had to be obeyed.

And so it was that Zeus had to make a deal with Hades: Persephone would stay and marry Hades and be the Queen of the Underworld for half of the year only. When Persephone is in the Underworld, Demeter makes winter and the days are dark and cold. When Persephone returns to earth, spring comes and the flowers start to bloom again...

Pomegranates have a shiny firm skin which contains around 600 bright pink seeds. They have an aromatic sweet but sharp juice that gives delight to salads, desserts and savoury dishes. They are in season from December to February.

The pomegranate is rich in antioxidant properties, potassium, fibre, niacin and vitamin C. Hippocrates recommended pomegranate as a laxative.

Although often associated with warmer, more exotic lands, the striking looking aubergine is widely cultivated in Britain.

Aubergine (Solanum melongena) is botanically not a vegetable but a fruit, closely related to the tomato.

Eggplant, or aubergine, is a vegetable long prized for its beauty as well as its unique taste and texture. Aubergines are a good source of fibre and folic acid. The colour of the skin is a result of the presence of anthocyanins - compounds with antioxidant properties. In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity.

In Greece is it widely used in many recipes including the famous Greek moussaka. Recipe is coming soon…

Finally the asparagus season has begun!

Asparagus is considered by many to be the queen of vegetables and one of nature's superfoods! It is a member of the lily family and a distant cousin of the leek and onion. Asparagus is a highly prized vegetable which, unfortunately, has a relatively short season of just 10 weeks.

It gets its name from the ancient Greek ‘aspharagos’ which originates from the Persian word ‘asparag’ meaning sprout, stalk or shoot. Asparagus was popular in ancient Greece for its medicinal and gastronomic qualities, as well as for its aphrodisiac powers! Hippocrates used it for medicinal purposes such as the treatment of  diarrhoea and urinary problems.

Asparagus is full of vitamins A, B and C, great source of iron, and full of fibre and folic acid. It’s great for the heart, boosts your immune system and is believed to help detoxify the body.

Steamed or lightly boiled asparagus served with one of our early harvest olive oils, makes a mouthwatering, health boosting salad or side dish! Lets enjoy the asparagus season while it lasts...

For more information about asparagus http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/

New spring vegetables like purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, cabbage, spinach and asparagus will soon be making appearance. Keep checking our blog for new seasonal recipes.

We will have to wait a little longer for different varieties of fruit. Rhubarb is the only newcomer this season - and even though most people think of it as a fruit, it is actually a vegetable.