april cometh

It’s spring. Has it sprung? Probably not if you live on my little island. But nonetheless, more brightly-coloured creatures are beginning to be born, be they Spanish strawberries or little pea shoots. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited. I’m sick of root vegetables. They’re brilliant in November, but boring in April.

It’s not all new in April though. We’re still getting carrots and kale, though we can use them with newer ingredients to come up with something wholly seasonal. New herbs are popping up – we’ve been using mint, but rosemary’s coming now too – and there’s spring lamb. One of my springtime goals is to cook more lamb.

It’s about time to turn our heads away from apples as our monthly fruit. I stopped picking up English apples a month or two ago – I’m finding them too mealy and simply not enticing. Golden Delicious and Granny Smith from France have been good friends, but soon we’ll leave them to it while we hang out with the cool berry crowd. And I’m not mentioning rhubarb, simply because I don’t think I’ll ever truly fancy it.


spring lamb
A bit of a lamb novice, I haven't quite gotten my head around buying lamb that's travelled all the way from New Zealand, even if it is tasty. I'd rather go with what's nearby. It may need spicing up, though, as the meat is so new. Use strong flavours and lots of herbs.

Lamb with anchovy and mint is another Nigel Slater triumph. Anchovies are a great way of introducing strong flavours into your food - although they are an oily fish, it doesn't take much. And one fillet is something like 9 calories! So go crazy, use a handful if you like.

spring herbs
Rosemary, wild garlic, mint... these are all fabulous flavours to use this time of year. While wild garlic is really only sourced from a stroll through a field (or a farmer's market), rosemary and mint can be growth from the comfort of your own window box. It's really up to you how you use them. But I think they're best used with the root vegetables that we're still using - carrots, new potatoes, and so on.

spring greens
These first shoots remind us that warmer weather is on the way. Pea shoots and greens, and even the new season of spinach, can be eaten raw and don't need any cooking. In fact, they're probably best raw, in a salad with lemon juice and a dribble of olive oil. If you must cook them, just lightly steam them.

I'm really starting to crave salads again, after a winter of heavier meals. Try a salad of pea shoots, sliced beetroot, fresh French goats cheese and a drizzle of honey. It will taste just so fresh.

strawberries
Like I said, these strawberries aren't from England - yet. But the Spanish variety aren't so bad. I greedily downed a punnet of these a few days ago. And to be honest, I don't think anything should be done with them - save any strawberry recipes for the summer, when there's a glut of them. For now just enjoy biting into this juicy, tongue-pleasing fruit.

Jersey potatoes
The new season of Jersey new potatoes has arrived. Please, please, please don't buy any of those potatoes on the shelf from Israel when we've got these just off shore. Like all the other delicate produce we have in April, these potatoes benefit from less treatment rather than more. Steam them and crush with a fork, adding your favourite herb. Earlier this week I used chopped rosemary and salt - but mint would be amazing as well.