British asparagus comes into season in mid to late April and continues until June. This hero vegetable is coveted by chefs and guests every year with the reopening of outdoor hospitality and season coinciding,
Not only is British asparagus delicious, but it is also a labour of love for farmers. The growing and harvesting process is intensive and time-consuming with delicate attention to detail required. Each spear is harvested by individually hand picking the spears once they are at ideal height. We highly recommend watching a video or two on the process - not only is it important to understand how that delicious grilled asparagus spear reaches your plate, but it is also very satisfying to watch!
Ahead of coming to our restaurant, why not try your hand at this delicate dish of British asparagus, and quails quail's egg - a bright, fresh salad.
Serves 6 (starter or side to share)
Sea salt and frehsly ground pepper,
1kg green asparagus spears,
12 quails eggs,
1 bunch of breakfast radish,
50ml of rapeseed oil,
Juice of 1 lemon
If the asparagus is young and fresh, it should not need peeling. If you do need to peel it, use a wide-mouthed peeler and cut away from the tip, removing the outside of the lower half only.
Put a large pan of lightly salted water over moderate heat and bring to the boil. Add the asparagus and boil for 4–5 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and immediately dunk them in cold water to cool down and retain the green colour.
Carefully lower the quail eggs into the same water and cook for precisely 21⁄2 minutes. Plunge into cold water immediately and delicately peel them under cold running water while they are still warm.
Arrange the asparagus on a serving platter. Halve the quail eggs and radishes and dot them among the spears. Drizzle with the rapeseed oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.