PHOTOGRAPHS KATE WHITAKER
Twice-baked crab and chive soufflés with quick-pickled samphire, p26
ILLUSTRATIONS ROSIE RAMSDEN
It’s an exciting time to be in the kitchen: spring is in the air and it brings with it a wealth of cookery inspiration. Seasonal ingredients take on a whole new intensity this month, transforming any recipe they’re used in. Chickens seem plumper thanks to grazing on fresh grass, which nourishes their meat and eggs with extra goodness. Shellfish are enjoying a last hurrah before the breeding season, and green shoots are popping up everywhere – watercress is more peppery, soft herbs are more fragrant. To show off the recipes on the following pages, we commissioned food writer and artist Rosie Ramsden to create some beautiful watercolours as a backdrop. REBECCA WOOLLARD, FOOD EDITOR