On a sunny yet cool morning in late March, we arrived at Erbisœul in the district of Jurbise to meet with our asparagus producer, Stéphane Longlune.
Asparagus is the quintessential spring vegetable – the first to signal the reawakening of nature after its winter slumber.
We were cheerfully welcomed by a distinctive Norman accent, as our host introduced himself straight away as “from Normandy with Flemish roots”. Our interest was immediately piqued.

Originally from Normandy, where his surname Longlune comes from, Stéphane had various professions before becoming a farmer in Belgium, the homeland of his maternal grandparents. Having worked as farmers in western Flanders, they emigrated on horseback to Normandy between the wars to survive and continue working the land.

Stéphane and his wife’s large family has become a firm fixture in the Montois region, surrounded by the produce grown by this warm and jolly man. Having worked with a range of different fruit and vegetables (asparagus, strawberries, parsley root, rhubarb, carrots, soil-grown chicory and 15 or so varieties of beetroot), he ended up focusing specifically on asparagus, much to the delight of food-lovers and the keepers of their temples, the restaurant owners, who are his main clients.

Unlike asparagus from Mechelen, Stéphane’s crop grows in a clay loam soil, which is heavier than sandy soils and provides a great deal of flavour.
Proudly bearing Bio and Demeter labels (certifying organic and biodynamic agricultural practices), he offers white, green and purple varieties grown in polytunnels and tarpaulin-covered mounds (which prevents photosynthesis in white asparagus).
Our extremely educational visit ended at the long grading machine, which sorts the asparagus according to their size and the client’s requirements. The top chefs know exactly what they want, even down to the size of their vegetables!