The greengrocers’ shops look almost Bacchanalian at the moment. Asparagus, baby leeks, peas, broad beans, mangetout, spring onions, courgettes, Jersey Royals, baby radishes, rocket, sorrel, spinach and watercress are either here or well on the way — so let’s celebrate spring in true pagan style: by eating.

As part of my week-long celebration of British asparagus, here are ten ways of teaming it with other springtime flora and fauna:

1. Roast it in the oven and serve topped with tablets of grilled goat’s cheese or Cypriot haloumi.

2. Toss steamed asparagus into a springtime salad with fine green beans, finely shredded mangetout, wild rocket and truffle oil.

3. Serve fat asparagus spears topped with a soft-boiled egg and crumbled, crisped pancetta.

4. Toss asparagus into a couscous salad with avocado, watercress and preserved lemon.

5. Make tiny finger sandwiches of asparagus and pesto mayo.

6. Wrap cooked and cooled asparagus spears in smoked salmon and drizzle with lemon crème fraîche.

7. Stir-fry thin asparagus with chicken, shiitake mushrooms, rice wine and soy.

8. Scatter steamed asparagus with shrimps and drizzle with a peppery lemon butter.

9. Toss the tips with peas, broad beans and a little pesto, and serve with spring lamb cutlets.

10. Fold asparagus and peas through a creamy risotto, and melt fontina over the top.

ASPARAGUS, PEA & FONTINA RISOTTO

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 40 min

Serves 4

Top with melted fontina (a buttery, semi-firm Italian cow’s milk cheese), raclette or Gruyère.

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
350g risotto rice, unwashed
1.2 litres chicken stock, heated
150ml white wine
400g asparagus, finely chopped
150g peas
Ground nutmeg, sea salt & pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp grated parmesan
100g fontina, sliced

Method: Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan and cook the onion for 10 minutes until softened. Add the rice, stirring well. Add the wine and stir as it almost bubbles away.

Add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring, over medium heat. Add more stock as the rice absorbs it, and water if you run out of stock. Cook the asparagus and peas in simmering, salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water.

Heat the grill. When the rice is tender, add the asparagus, peas, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and fold through. Beat in the butter and parmesan and divide between four warm plates. Arrange the cheese on top and place briefly under the grill until it has melted.

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