Asparagus season is back, and celebrations are kicking off this weekend.

For most people in England, April 23 is recognised as Saint George’s Day, but here in Worcestershire it is also a day for all things asparagus.

National Asparagus Day kicks off the Asparagus Festival, six weeks of celebrating the Vale’s flagship crop, said to be some of the best asparagus in the world.

Angela Taylor, tourism officer at Wychavon, said: “St George’s Day and National Asparagus Day is the highlight of horticultural life in the Vale of Evesham.”

The fun gets started this Saturday at the National Trust’s Bretforton pub, The Fleece.

The pub, recently named County Pub of the Year by the CAMRA Shakespeare (Worcestershire) branch, will host a range of activities throughout the day, coinciding with the launch of a new ‘asparagus menu’.

Pebworth Morris will be dancing at 11am, and then again at 7.30pm when they will be joined by Belle D’Vain and Bowbrook Morris groups.

In between the dancing, the Lockdown Layabouts will be playing classical music.

There will also be a few colourful characters to meet on the day, including Gus the asparagus man and St George himself.

There is also the world’s only Asparamancer Jemima Packington who predicts the future by throwing asparagus.

In December, she made several predictions about what 2022 had in store.

According to the asparagus, “tense times will continue on the international front, but conflicts will be avoided” and “despite all the bad press Boris Johnson will prevail as Prime Minister”.

The Vale Asparagus Festival first launched in 2006, largely a result of the marketing efforts of The British Asparagus Growers Association.

But it was 2007 when it really became big, thanks to coverage from national magazines, newspapers, TV and radio stations, with many media organisations labelling it ‘The British Asparagus Festival’.

This year’s festival runs until June 21 with several events planned beyond the opening day.

On Saturday, May 7, there will be an asparagus eating festival at the Evesham Food Festival on Crown Meadow.

Later in the month, on Sunday 29, the Asparagus Auction will make its long-awaited return after two years spent online.

The Fleece courtyard will welcome the Bretforton Silver Band as guests bid for the largest, freshest, and greenest produce which will be sold off by local auctioneer, Colin Jelfs.

Then on June 5, St Leonard’s Church in Bretforton will hold its own asparagus auction.

There are also plans to reschedule the Great English Aspragus Run, which had originally been planned for April 23.