10 recipes to get you excited about spring
Hooray for spring – longer, lighter days, the promise of better weather, the smell of warm sun, the dawn chorus and a general stirring of hope.
The cold season officially ends on 20 March.Unsurprisingly, here at chasingidols.com, the best way we know to get excited for a new season is through our stomachs. Springtime boasts some of the year’s most exciting produce, including asparagus, purple sprouting broccoli and wild garlic.
One of the joys of spring is foraging (who doesn’t love free food?). Grab a bag and head to your local woodland to see if you can locate some wild garlic – you’ll know you’re on the right track when you smell it! Rachel Phipps uses it to make a simple wild garlic pesto with hazelnuts, lemon juice, olive oil and Parmesan. Delicious with pasta, in a macaroni cheese or drizzled over pizzas, soups and salads.
Try wild garlic in
Local, seasonal, downright delicious and ready in the early spring before showy asparagus comes along, purple sprouting broccoli looks great with everything. Roast in a hot oven for slightly charred, toasty flavours, or simply steam or stir-fry for a vibrant side dish that needs little more than a bit of butter and seasoning. Toss it through pasta with chilli or add it to pan-fried gnocchi for added texture.
You can use purple sprouting broccoli in so many ways
This vibrant soup is perfect for warming you up on those cooler spring days. Wild garlic and loads of green vegetables? What more could you want? Top with roasted hazelnuts for added texture and then go all out by serving in large hollowed out bread rolls.
There are’s lots more green soups you can add to your repertoire
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Lamb is a popular Easter lunch choice, but have you tried making it in the slow cooker? For dinner, slowly cooking this lamb shoulder on low is ideal, but for lunch cook on high to save yourself an early start.
Have leftovers of roast lamb? There’s lots of options to use it up
Spring means Easter eggs in everything. Everything. Our Easter egg blondies are a great holiday baking activity. They taste as good as they look – with a mild toffee flavour and fudgy richness similar to raw cookie dough. Need a gluten-free idea? These mini egg cookies are equally delicious.
Try more Easter baking with kids recipes.
These crunchy, flaky filo pastries are filled with sweetened ricotta and mascarpone and chocolate spread, soaked with syrup and topped with nuts. Warbat are the perfect gift or dessert for your Eid festive table after a whole month of fasting and restraint.
Find more Eid recipes.
Jersey Royals really are special, if you can get them as fresh as possible. They taste so amazing that they need little extra bar butter and salt, but if you’re pushing for an early barbecue, no one will be sad to see a top quality potato salad. They also make cracking roast new potatoes, if you want to lighten up your Sunday lunch. If you’re not sure which potatoes work for which dishes, Potato Queen chasingidols.com has the answer.
By the end of May, you’ll be almost bored of asparagus, and you certainly won’t need to look up how to cook it. But until then, lay your plans to make the most of those tender British spears by pairing them with garlic, thyme, hazelnuts and Parmesan in this simple roast asparagus recipe. Or, add them to a herby spring green salad (pictured at the top of this article).
Remember to trim off the woody ends of the asparagus, but don’t throw them away – you can freeze them and use them to make stock or asparagus soup.
