Page 15 - Frittenden Parish Mag - April 2024

Kent in the Kitchen Historical Society

It’s asparagus Kent Miners’

season again… Strike 1984

Rebecca Warren Sue Betts

Kent is not immediately associated with the
It’s asparagus season again and this year National Coal Strike of 1984-5. Our February
we’re taking a brief look at the history of this speaker, Keith Whitnell, also brought a different
delicacy. Asparagus has a long pedigree, and perspective to the strike. Keith was a young police
was known across the Ancient Western world. constable in Kent at the time, and was to marry
The oldest recipe is found in De Re Coquinaria the sister of a Kent miner. He had been bussed
(‘On Cookery’), compiled by the Roman to Yorkshire and Nottingham to aid police in
writer Apicius, probably during the fourth- those counties. While he acknowledged that
fifth centuries AD, though he was probably many actions by the police were wrong, he had
recording food that had already been in the seen much provocation by the striking miners,
repertoire of the classical world for many years. particularly when he had been at Markham
Asparagus appears again in the written record Colliery, Nottinghamshire. A strong union man
in Europe around the C15th and by the C17th it himself, he saw this as a political strike rather
had made the leap into immortality by featuring than one to improve working conditions.
in the diary of Samuel Pepys, who in April The conditions for the policemen bussed-in to
1667 noted that he had ‘brought home with Simply serve with their own delicious the Midlands were poor. At one time they were
me from Fenchurch St [London] a hundred of Hollandaise sauce (Tarragon preferred by the quartered in some squash courts in Lincolnshire.
sparrowgrass, cost 18d. We had them and a little magazine team) or French dressing. These turned out to be on a live RAF jet station and
bit of salmon, which my wife had a mind to…’ they were woken early in the morning as the jets In Kent, the mines were physically divorced
In 1765, a Welsh recipe book recommended took off on patrol. However, the police were paid from the rest of the industry (although they
asparagus soup, made with 100 asparagus spears for being on duty for 18 hours per day, including formed part of the East Midland region) and
and 2 lettuces boiled until tender in 6 pints of overtime received little support from the NUM. Kent
water, then blended and boiled for a further payments, plus established soup kitchens for the striking miners,
2-3 hours(!) before adding cream and flour. additional pay providing one meal a day, although only for those
Perhaps the intention was a slow simmer to for working on on the picket line.
reduce the volume? rest days. Keith
Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book (1st published in acknowledged After a few months the Kent miners increased their
1861) contains several asparagus recipes, including that the strike agitation, and Kent police called on reinforcements
one for a boiled pudding, which must have made was very from South and South-West England. These were
something like a Yorkshire pudding containing advantageous to housed at the former Hover Port site at Ramsgate
asparagus and ham. She noted, too, that whilst him financially. which had good facilities. Betteshanger colliery
in season from April to July, asparagus was also While some began a sit-in at the mine. The management took
available tinned all year round. This is still the case policemen had the opportunity to sack the occupying miners for
today, of course, but now is the season to received special trespass. The Kent strikers remained firm with
eat it fresh. training and very few ‘strike-breakers’ in the county and stayed
Traditionally asparagus season starts on equipment, out until the strike ended after nearly a year in
St George’s Day which this year is 22 April. most still had inadequate uniforms, helmets and
For local asparagus the magazine team forms of defence. Communications were poor, March 1985.
recommend Frogshole Farm on the Sissinghurst with few radios and those available not compatible Today there is little evidence of the Kent Coal
Road. The sign for asparagus will go up the first between the various forces on duty. When stationed industry. However, recently the Kent Mining
day it is available (there is also info via their at Markham none of the vans sent up from Kent Museum was opened on the Betteshanger site, now
Facebook page). returned as they were all so badly damaged. the Betteshanger Country Park.

14 Frittenden Parish Magazine April 2024 Frittenden Parish Magazine April 2024 15