A taste of Spring

With the most colourful season on our doorstep, now’s the time to enjoy your own harvest – from your garden to your table!

Chicken salad
A great way to use up leftover roast chicken!

Makes: 6 portions
Preparation time: 30 minutes

• 6-8 quail eggs or 2 chicken eggs
• 200g fresh asparagus
• 1 small cucumber, roughly grated
• 250ml Greek yoghurt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 30ml mint, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 125g streaky bacon, chopped
• 6 slices of day-old sour dough bread, broken into pieces or cubed
• 2 handfuls young rocket, watercress and other soft leaves
• 1 grilled chicken, flaked from the bone

1 Bring the eggs to the boil in a small saucepan of water; boil the quail eggs for 1^1⁄2 minutes and the chicken eggs for 3-4 minutes. Immerse them in cold water and shell the eggs once cold.
2 Steam the asparagus until just cooked; this takes only a minute or two. Allow it to cool this takes only a minute or two. Allow it to cool.
3 Mix the cucumber with the yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic and mint, and season with salt and black pepper.
4 Heat the bacon in a small frying pan and fry until crispy and golden brown. Then drain on kitchen paper, retaining the rendered fat.
5 Add the bread to the fat in the pan and fry until golden brown.
6 Place the lettuce on a pretty platter and sprinkle the bacon and bread over. Dish the flaked chicken and asparagus onto the salad and drizzle the dressing over. Halve the eggs carefully and add to the salad. Finally, season with salt and black pepper and serve.

Creamy pasta with salmon and asparagus
A classic combination!

Makes: 4 portions
Preparation time: 30 minutes

• 30ml butter
• 1 bunch chives, chopped
• 90ml dry white wine
• 250ml crème fraîche
• 30ml fresh dill
• juice of ^1⁄2 lemon
• 200g asparagus, chopped
• 350g pasta
• 125g smoked salmon, chopped

1 Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir-fry the spring onions for about 1 minute until soft. Add the dry white wine and simmer until slightly reduced. Stir in the crème fraîche and season to taste with dill and some lemon juice. Set aside.
2 Blanch the asparagus for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
3 Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salt water until al dente. Drain and stir the spring onions with the crème fraîche, asparagus and smoked salmon in with the pasta. Serve immediately.