SOME LIKE IT HOT!

Spice and heat lovers rejoice! Our bountiful county is brimming with a range of produce that will light a fire in your belly

THE WASABI COMPANY

The only wasabi grower in the UK, and one of a few outfits in Europe, can be found right here on Hampshire (and Dorset) soil. According to Jon Old, founder of the Wasabi Company: “The mineral rich water that emerges from artesian springs is a vital element that, without which, we could not grow wasabi.”

Once a relatively unknown vegetable, wasabi has had its own renaissance over the past few years – which Jon believes is down to the rise of Japanese cuisine and the availability of UK-grown wasabi, coupled with the adventurous nature of UK foodies. The company’s most popular products are fresh wasabi and wasabi plants – but just how easy is it to grow-yourown? “Wasabi will grow well in the garden or a pot. Yielding perfect rhizomes is not always a guarantee, but a lot of home growers do and the leaves and stems and flowers are all edible and grow very easily,” says Jon. After their wildly successful adventures in UK wasabi farming, having won a cumulative 13 Great Taste Gold Stars over seven of their own label products – the Wasabi Company has launched its very own Wasabi vodka. “With artisan distillers, Winchester Distillery, working their magic from our old watercress bunching shed it was only a matter of time before we joined forces,” says Jon. “The result went way beyond anything we could have expected. We are absolutely delighted with the way this vodka captures and releases the flavour and fire of real wasabi.”