ASPARAGUS WITH SPINACH AND ROASTED GARLIC BUTTER

This is a lovely way to enjoy British asparagus during its all-too-short season, from around the end of April until late June. I’ll happily eat it as a side or for lunch or supper, with a slab of sourdough to mop up the delicious garlicky butter.

SERVES 4

★ 2 bunches of asparagus

★ 200g spinach (tougher stalks removed and roughly chopped if using large-leaf spinach)

★ bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

★ 1 lemon, halved

★ sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the roasted garlic butter

★ 1 garlic bulb

★ 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

★ 150g unsalted butter, softened

1 F irst, prepare the garlic butter. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Put the garlic bulb in the centre of a piece of foil large enough to wrap and enclose it. Trickle over the extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in the foil and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and leave to cool. 2 Put the butter in a bowl, unwrap the garlic bulb and cut a small slice off the bottom. Gently squeeze the garlic bulb downwards from the top and the soft garlic should just slip out of the papery skin. Add it to the butter, season and mix to combine.

3 Turn the oven up to 230C/ 220C fan/gas 8. Bend each asparagus spear until it breaks naturally at its sweet spot. (Don’t discard the tougher ends – keep them to use in soups and slow-cooked dishes.)

4 Lay the asparagus in a roasting tray, dot the garlic butter all over and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 3 minutes. Take out the tray and stir through the spinach and chopped parsley. Return to the oven for 2 minutes until the spinach is fully wilted. Remove.

6 Squeeze over the juice of the halved lemon and toss together. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary, then serve, making sure you use every scrap of the delicious butter.

SWAPS

Broccoli (either purple sprouting or Tenderstem) and fennel wedges work well in place of the asparagus – simply adjust the cooking time as needed.