Variety
Crown Prince
The finest British winter squash — silvery-grey, sweet, and legendarily good
Crown Prince is widely considered the finest-flavoured winter squash available to UK growers — a large, flat-drum shaped squash with distinctive silver-blue-grey skin and deep orange flesh with exceptional sweetness, density, and flavour. A showstopper in the kitchen garden and on the plate. The fruit keeps for 6–12 months in good conditions and the flavour actually improves in storage.
Flavour
Exceptionally sweet, dense, and richly nutty — widely considered superior in flavour to butternut squash. The deep orange flesh has a satisfyingly dense, almost custard-like texture when roasted. The flavour complexity develops in storage; Crown Prince squash harvested in October and eaten in February will be sweeter and more complex than one eaten immediately.
In the kitchen
The definitive roasting squash — quarter, remove seeds, dress with olive oil and brown butter, roast at 190°C for 45–55 minutes until deeply caramelised and soft. Also extraordinary in soup, risotto, or stuffed and cooked whole in a wood-fired oven. Placed cut-side down on a grill over indirect fire for an hour it develops an extraordinary smoky-sweet character.
Growing
Sow indoors in April; plant out after frosts with 2m+ space. The large fruit (3–6kg) needs ground space — Crown Prince is a vigorous trailing vine not suited to trellising. Harvest when the skin has turned fully silver-grey and the stems are dry and corky. Cure at room temperature for 2 weeks before storing in a cool dry place.