May

May is the month for flavour, there are lots minty, peppery salad leaves in season to zing up your salads.

If you’re looking for some cheap eats, wild nettles can be foraged for free from almost anywhere, remember use gloves and wash them first. They’re unbelievably delicious and good for you. Wild garlic marks the start of the spring for many and can be found in wooded areas across the country.

Asparagus

• To store asparagus, you can trim the ends, stand upright in water, and cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

• Asparagus works well boiled or pan fried with a dab of butter and spices. A good companion to fish, steak, risotto or with hollandaise sauce.

• To perk up limp asparagus, soak it in cold water.

• You don’t necessarily need to cut off the end of asparagus spears as they’ll often tenderise in the cooking process.

Rocket

• Rocket is best eaten fresh, so keep it cool and dry. To store and extend it’s lifespan, wash, spin dry and wrap loosely in a paper towel and put inside a sealed container in the fridge.

• Rocket tastes peppery and so it does well in salads, blitzed into a pesto or on a sensational seasonal pizza.

• It can provide a great savoury addition in sandwiches and goes well with all pasta shapes. It’s also a great source of iron, vitamin C and A.

• It’s a versatile ingredient, so why not try it in this recipe for Herby Potato Gnocchi.

Peas

• Peas glorious peas! They’re a British classic and are so versatile. They can be eaten fresh from the pod or if frozen added straight to risottos, casseroles or soups.

• To freeze your peas blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, spread out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze for about an hour. Transfer to a labelled container.

Knock up a delicious pea-fect treat at home with this recipe for Fish or ‘To-Fish’ and Chips and Mushy Peas.