RECIPE, FOOD STYLING AND STYLING GILL MELLER PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW MONTGOMERY
There’s nothing quite like the sugary sweetness and delicate texture of freshly cut asparagus. Whether you serve it raw as part of a crunchy crudités platter with a rich, lemony mayonnaise, or lightly steamed and buttered with crisp pancetta, poached eggs and black pepper, this short-seasoned gem of a vegetable is not to be missed. When you’re buying asparagus, look out for firm, snappy spears with tight tips and a bright emerald colour. It may be pricey, but that’s because it’s special. It takes several years for the crowns – the part of the plant the spears grow from – to produce their first stems, and then they’ll only yield a limited amount. You should be able to find really great locally grown stuff on the shelves of good farm shops, greengrocers and roadside stalls right through until the end of June.