IN SEASON

Deputy food editor Esther Clark shares recipes using seasonal produce, while Emma Crawforth from BBC Gardeners’ World offers advice on growing spring onions

Recipes to make the most of this month’s produce

March is a month where the veg patch starts to come into its own, the days are a little longer and produce is fresher and brighter, with leafy greens and bold pinks taking centre stage.

I’ve always been a fan of spinach whether wilted and stirred into a creamy pasta with ham and nutmeg, blitzed into an iron-rich soup with frozen peas, or stir-fried with spices and potatoes – just a few of my favourite ways to serve it. Organic spinach or spinach fresh from the ground has a thicker, more robust leaf which I prefer. On page 85 I’ve baked it with coconut milk and Indian spices along with eggs – I always think rich yolks and earthy spinach pair so well together. You could add prawns to this dish, too, if you wanted, but I think the vegetables alone command the stage well, especially scooped up with a buttery paratha.

Spring onions were always something we had in retro salads growing up, or folded through egg mayo. Not often seen as a star veg, I actually love to brush them with oil and barbecue them in summer, finished with a lemony vinaigrette, or char them in a griddle pan and stuff into tacos with chicken. They also add a slightly punchy flavour to my scones on page 84. I slice and add them to a cornbread-inspired mixture with salty feta. Cut them open while still warm and spread with smoky chilli butter for a comforting bake on cooler days.

Rhubarb is one of my most anticipated crops of the year. These bold pink, theatrical stems have become so popular in recent years. Baking them into a rich custard with ginger is indulgent and I think my favourite way to eat it – try my riff on retro rhubarb and custard, opposite. I also roast rhubarb with a little brown sugar until slightly softened, then spoon it over yogurt and granola for breakfast. Its season is short, so make a batch of compote and freeze it, for those days when you need a hit of the pink stuff.