My ULTIMATE spring party food is here, and this is how we served it at our wedding...

Plus a recipe with brown butter scrambled eggs

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Six years ago in May, I married my husband by the sea, when the coastal paths were bushy with wild fennel and the confetti spray of cow parsley, and the local asparagus farm a few miles down the road could guarantee delivery of crate-upon-crate of my favourite veg, freshly cut from the ground on that fateful Saturday. To say that I planned the wedding around asparagus season is a bit of an exaggeration, and one that, I’ll admit, I’ve occasionally - cringe - wheeled out in company, but it certainly played into our thinking about spring being the most beautiful and abundant time to throw a ‘party of love’ (as they say in my current favourite children’s book, ‘Julian at the Wedding’).

New season asparagus, is, in my opinion, the perfect party food, being that it’s simple to prepare, crowd-pleasing, communal in a fun, stylish way, and feels light and healthy, even when drenched in butter - which, I feel - it usually should be. We served vast platters of the poached spears slathered with lemon butter and showered with parmesan, and they went down a storm with the glasses of unfiltered Prosecco we served alongside. I’m saving our full wedding menu lowdown (with a few wedding snaps thrown in) for a more intimate post for my paid community, but the mounds of asparagus certainly helped it feel like a fun, generous, dreamy spring menu - even if we were on a budget.

This Sunday marks St George’s Day, after which, traditionally, British asparagus season begins (as long as there haven’t been too many late frosts, which hold up the season) and it’s a crop that immediately deteriorates from the moment it’s picked, so to eat it in season, as quickly as you can after buying it, is the way to go. The season only lasts around eight weeks, making it feel even more special, and I’m legitimately excited about the incoming abundance of the sublime spears, so prepare yourselves, because at the end of next week I’ll be dropping more of my favourite asparagus recipes in my ‘Something For the Weekend’ recipe drop for paid subscribers.

Are you excited about asparagus season too? Do you even care? If not, don’t worry, I’ve got you - there will be non-asparagus recipes too. I‘d love to know more in the comments, and in the spirit of love, I’ve included a very simple recipe for our wedding asparagus for everyone below, but using charred lemons, whose flavour and bitterness is heightened by the charring process, along with a stunning brunch recipe for asparagus with brown butter scrambled eggs.

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Asparagus with charred lemon butter and parmesan from my first cookbook A Lot On Her Plate, pic by Helen Cathcart

Asparagus with charred lemon butter and Parmesan

Serves 4

400g asparagus spears, woody ends snapped off
1 lemon, halved
olive oil
15g salted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
40g Parmesan

1. Heat a non stick frying pan or skillet until stinking hot. Brush the lemon halves with a little bit of oil and place cut side down in the pan. Cook for about five minutes, until caramelised and charred, then set aside.

2. Turn the heat down under the pan and melt the butter in the lemon pan, gently. When cool enough to handle, squeeze in the charred lemon juice and stir to incorporate.

3. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the asparagus tips, cooking for 2 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a colander, steam off for a few seconds, then gently roll them into the lemon butter, off the heat. Divide between plates, season with black pepper and pour over the remaining butter. Grate over the Parmesan. Eat immediately, with fingers.

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Photo by Luke J Albert

Asparagus and brown butter scrambled eggs with soft herbs

Serves two

Scrambled eggs and asparagus is a classic combination, and this version amps up the indulgence with a hit of nutty brown butter. You could take it one step further by adding a little truffle paste to the eggs if you have any. This makes for a really wonderful celebratory spring lunch or brunch.

Two thick slices of sourdough or rye bread, for toast 
300g  bunch of asparagus, woody stems removed  
4 medium eggs
Salt and pepper 
40g salted butter, cut into cubes  
A squeeze of lemon juice 
A handful of mixed soft herbs - I like parsley, dill, chives and tarragon, finely chopped, plus a few picked leaves, to garnish   
A sprinkling of sumac 

1. Fill and boil the kettle and warm two plates in a low oven. Crack the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and use a fork to lightly whisk until just scrambled. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a preferably light coloured frying pan over a medium high heat, stirring or swirling the pan until it’s melted. Once melted the butter will be yellow and cloudy. Keep on stirring it until it starts to sizzle and spit, then turn the heat down slightly as it foams up and bubbles. Keep on cooking it, stirring, until it settles back down and is turning from golden to a deeper brown and smelling nutty as the milk solids caramelise - this will take three to five minutes. I like to take my brown butter quite far so it’s deeply nutty. Once browned, remove from the heat and pour off a tablespoon of the butter into a bowl and set aside in a warm place. 

2. Toast the bread, butter and keep warm, and pour the boiling water into a pan and salt well. Blanche the asparagus for 3-4 minutes, or, depending on thickness, until tender, then carefully drain and refresh under cold running water to stop it cooking. Stir a squeeze of lemon and the chopped hazelnuts into the reserved brown butter in the bowl - this will go over the asparagus at the end

3. Put the butter pan back over the heat, this time on a low setting, and pour in the whisked eggs. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir them into the brown butter, scattering in the herbs and cooking them slowly until creamy and silky. I prefer my eggs on the creamier, less set side, but take them as far as you prefer. Divide the toast between plates and top with the scrambled eggs, then arrange the asparagus on top and finally spoon over the lemony, hazelnut-flecked brown butter. Garnish with the picked herbs and a scattering of sumac, and devour. 

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