At last, a speck of sunshine! To celebrate the wonder that is a sunny Britain, give one of our ten favourite springtime recipes a go.
Quick, fire up the barbie! We Brits love eating outside, and there’s no better burger to make at this time of year than a lamb and feta one. This recipe is made by Welsh lamb expert Elwen Roberts and comprises just five simple ingredients, including mint for freshness.
Nathan Outlaw’s watercress soup could be a lovely tea-time treat. It’s elegant, light, healthy and fresh, and is beefed up with some bite-size ham and cheese toasties in this recipe. All you’ll need for the soup is watercress, an onion, garlic, vegetable stock, and a potato.
Making gnocchi from scratch is too much like hard work, especially when there’s sunshine to enjoy outside of the kitchen. So do it the cheat’s way instead – Donna Hay’s meat-free gnocchi take less than 25 minutes to prepare, and doesn’t involve any fiddly techniques at all.
Chef Theo Randall took inspiration from Italy for his light-and-fresh spring salad. This Parmigiano-Reggiano on grilled courgette recipe blends basil, rocket and ciabatta croutons for a delightful lunch or starter option. Pair it with a rich white wine and every mouthful will be full of the joys of spring!
“This colourful Mediterranean dish is ideal for those outdoor summer lunches,” says chef Daniel Galmiche of his tart. “Make sure you choose a goat’s cheese you love. One I really enjoy is Sainte-Maure de Touraine – it is well-balanced, smooth, slightly salty and has a lovely, nutty aroma.”
A bright and breezy main to enjoy on a lovely spring day. Although the French typically don’t put any cooked vegetables into their Niçoise, Jean Christophe Novelli prefers cooking the more modern version, with baby new potatoes, green beans, egg, anchovies and a homemade French vinaigrette.
Tom Aikens likes to celebrate spring with a filo pastry tart, packed full of herby freshness. You’ll need sorrel leaves, rocket, asparagus spears, baby spinach leaves, fresh peas, courgette, and spring onions to get the full flavour potential, plus a chervil and crème fraiche mix for between the pastry layers.
This refreshing tart comes straight from the MasterChef kitchens, and makes for a perfect springtime dinner part dessert. Chocolate pastry encases a creamy citrus filling made from eggs, sugar, double cream, lemon zest, and lime zest. Remember to let it cool completely before serving.
Definitely one of the best cake recipes on lovefood – I make it regularly now. Katherine Marland’s bake is light-as-air and comes with a wonderfully wicked honey buttercream, reminiscent of summer picnics. Honey is the perfect flavour for spring, and this cake certainly does the job of lifting us up.
Nothing says sunshine like ice cream! This must be one of the simplest homemade ice cream recipes, ever. It has the dreamiest creamy texture, is bursting with flavour, needs no churning, and by using yoghurt it is lower in fat than many other more traditional recipes.
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Marco Pierre White's spring vegetable risotto