What's in season in May

The short season for British asparagus is in full swing, so now’s the time to make the most of it. There’s green asparagus, of course, with its bright vegetal flavour that’s fantastic on your barbecue, tossed through pasta dishes or served with your brunch eggs.

M&S is also home to vibrant purple and white asparagus. White asparagus has a refined, slightly nutty, delicate flavour – these spears are grown under soil, which stops them from photosynthesising and turning green. As they tend to take longer to cook than green asparagus, I recommend steaming or blanching them until very tender and enjoying them simply with salt, a crack of black pepper and lashings of butter.

M&S’ purple asparagus is grown in the Wye Valley, where the climate and soil make for beautifully sweet and tender spears. Wrap them in Parma ham and bake in the oven until tender, then serve with my dippy eggs recipe for a colourful twist on an old-school classic.

If there’s ever a time to enjoy delicate, nutty Jersey Royals and other new potatoes, it’s in May. Roast the alongside my springtime Sunday roast chicken until they’re golden and tender, and have soaked up all those delicious roasting juices – unbeatable. Thanks to their smaller size, they’re easy to throw into a midweek traybake, as in this cod, new potato and tomato traybake with gremolata recipe from the M&S Food Team. Planning a bank holiday barbecue? Try my smashed beef-dripping potatoes as a fantastic side to go with sizzling kebabs and other lovely grilled meats. Enjoy!