I saw these artichokes on an allotment when having a local walk with Jinks. Liked their shapes and the fringes of flower. I googled** them and found that when the flowers get to the full stage, the vegetable is past its best for eating.
** prestigious to have your name converted to a verb!!
That was luck, Faye, due to the sky being a 'whiter shade of pale'!
We live more or less over the water from the Isle of Wight so it must be the area for them.