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The British asparagus season is short and rather glorious. It traditionally runs from St George's Day on 23 April to the summer solstice on 21 June, though a warm spring can push the first spears up in mid-April and a cold one can delay things by a fortnight. Growers in the Vale of Evesham, Norfolk, Kent and the sandy soils of Lincolnshire do most of the work, and the difference between a spear cut yesterday and one that has spent a week travelling is startling. Homegrown asparagus is sweeter, nuttier and far more tender, which is exactly why it needs so little done to it. The whole point of the season is to eat it often while it lasts, then let it go and look forward to next spring.
Look for spears that are firm, glossy and standing to attention, with tightly closed tips. A fresh bunch will squeak faintly when you rub the spears together. Avoid anything floppy, dull or beginning to wrinkle at the stem — that is asparagus on its way out.
Thickness is not a marker of quality. Fat spears come from older, stronger crowns and are meaty and forgiving; they roast and griddle beautifully. Thin spears cook in a flash and are lovely shaved raw into ribbons for a salad. Buy what looks best rather than what looks daintiest.
At home, treat asparagus like cut flowers. Trim or snap the woody ends, stand the bunch upright in a jar with an inch of water, cover loosely with a bag and refrigerate. If you would rather lay it flat, wrap it in damp kitchen paper and a clean tea towel. Either way, eat it within two or three days: the sugars in asparagus turn to starch quickly, and that sweetness is the whole point.
Drop thick spears into well-salted boiling water for three to four minutes, thin ones for barely two. Lift them out with tongs rather than tipping them into a colander, so the delicate tips are not bruised, and dress them while hot with butter, lemon juice, flaky salt and black pepper.
Roasting is just as easy and gives a deeper flavour. Spread the spears in a single layer on a baking tray, trickle with olive oil and cook at 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) for eight to twelve minutes, depending on thickness. A hot griddle pan works well too — three or four minutes, turning once, until you have dark char marks and a little snap left in the stem.
The one mistake worth avoiding is overcooking. Asparagus moves from perfect to limp in about ninety seconds, so test a spear earlier than feels sensible. It should bend slightly but still have bite.
At the weekend you can push things a little further. Blanched spears with hollandaise are the classic, but an easier lemon-butter sauce — warm butter whisked into two yolks over barely simmering water, sharpened with lemon — is nearly as good and far less fussy. Wrapping spears in thin slices of ham, dotting with butter and baking for ten minutes makes a generous plate with nothing more than bread alongside.
A simple tart is another reliable favourite: a rectangle of puff pastry, scored around the edge, spread with crème fraîche, laid with spears and scattered with a little grated cheese, then baked at 200°C for twenty minutes. Or go cold and make a warm salad of new potatoes, soft-boiled eggs, a sharp mustard dressing and a handful of peppery leaves.
There is something quietly restorative about eating to the calendar rather than to the supermarket shelf. A short season gives the week a rhythm: you buy a bunch, cook it two or three ways, and then it is gone. It costs very little, takes minutes, and tastes of the particular spring you are having.
Keep the table simple, too — a plain cloth, a jug of water, a plate that does the talking. If the weather allows, eat outside on a bench and let the food be the event. Nothing needs decorating.
Waste as little as you can. The woody ends, simmered for twenty minutes with a bay leaf, make a light stock for soup, and any spears past their best can be blitzed with potato and leek into something comforting. If you have a glut, blanch the spears for two minutes, cool them in iced water, dry them well and freeze — a small, bright reminder of the season in the depths of winter.
Nicola Morrison shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on british seasonal home cooking, simple interiors and everyday wellbeing for readers across the UK.
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