Winter, spring, summer or fall?

At a time when the food press is full of articles with titles like: ’50 great spring salads’, ‘Springtime recipes: plant-based sharing plates’, or ‘Best cabernet francs for barbecue season’, it would have been rather helpful if the weather had been sent the memo and delivered appropriately. This year, of course, there is also the small matter of the coronation to occupy significant food press copy, with a special focus on sparkling wines to help us all mark the occasion.

As a fanatical cook, I have felt unable to commit fully to the spring bandwagon, preferring warming and ‘comfort’ food meals more often associated with chilly autumnal evenings and only rarely dipping my toe in the spring waters. Of course there is a certain joy at the first asparagus of the season. It adds crunch to salads, a splash of colour to a roasted vegetable dish, goes well in quiches… and is so tasty on its own. Another of its joys is that it can be steamed, griddled, roasted, blanched and eaten raw. As a lazy starter on one of the warm days we have enjoyed, some asparagus tips charred on a griddle and topped with lemon zest and parmesan was a particular hit.

The trick when deciding what to cook during times of uncertain weather for me therefore, is to choose dishes that suit any conditions. It will come as no surprise to those of you who know how much of an Ottolenghi and school of Ottolenghi fan I am that my most recent ‘crush’ dish is one of his. Taken from Simple, it is his baked mint rice with pomegranate and olive salsa. It ticks the boxes on so many levels: it is easy to prepare; it fills the kitchen with fabulous aromas both as you prepare it and as it cooks; it tastes fabulous; given what you serve it alongside, it can feel very spring-like, summer-like or even autumnal. I have served it with simply roasted salmon fillet (dusted with pul bilber and sumac) and green beans, with a hollandaise sauce on the side.

Time to leave the kitchen and get back out there and dodge the showers/hail/bright sun/frost/thunderstorm..

Eating: The above rice dish from Ottolenghi! Can’t get enough of this at the moment. Photo above was taken prior to crumbling feta over the top.

Drinking: During a recent trip back to visit friends from our time in Somerset, I re-acquainted myself with this lovely, quaffable, ‘every day’ rum. I think the writer her indoors was converted too!

Listening to: As a fan from the early days, I was intrigued by the long-awaited new album by Everything But The Girl, Fuse. It has some great tracks, though current favourite would have to be Run a red light. It’s release has also made me go back and listen to their cover of Night and Day, as well as their biggest hit, Missing.