10 minute read
FOOD: COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON
Compliments of the season
The UK’s spring season superstar crops don’t hang around for long; if you miss any of the produce in the spotlight here, says Melissa Blease, you’ll seriously miss out... and there’s no going back until next year. Just imagine a medley of roast asparagus, sautéed morels, steamed Jersey Royals and wilted spinach topped with a freshly poached egg...
Spinach
Few vegetables scream ‘green!’ quite as loudly as spinach, and its uniquely distinctive flavour profile matches its attention-grabbing hue. One of the UK’s greatest green growing things is, of course, available all year round, and frozen spinach is one of our greatest quick-fix assets. But we can enjoy it at its sprightliest best from now until the end of June, when baby leaves are picked fresh from the nutrient-rich earth. Look for bright green leaves with a fresh smell and no hint of wilt, pick off any thick stems (there shouldn’t be many, on young spinach), give it a quick rinse and shake off all the excess water before sautéing, bearing in mind that spinach miraculously reduces to around a quarter of its volume when cooked, so too much at once is never enough.
Added bonus, plus fun fact: spinach contains a wide range of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Contrary to popular belief, however, it isn’t laden with iron; this myth began in 1870 when a German scientist accidentally moved a decimal point, giving spinach 10 times more iron than it actually contains. Take that, Popeye!
Jersey Royals
When is a new potato not just a new potato? When it’s a Jersey Royal. Small, smooth and loosely dressed in a fragile, papery skin, these creamy white angels of the tuber family have a sweetly nutty, subtly earthy flavour, a delicate aroma redolent of freshly mown grass and are at their brightest best from now until July, with the peak of their season in mid-May. Roast them? Criminal! Fried? Don’t you dare! Simply boil or steam until tender and serve with a slick of melted butter, a cascade of salt and a sprinkling of fresh chives – potato paradise indeed.
Asparagus
British asparagus season doesn’t officially begin until 23 April. But due to an unusually mild winter, an advance party of vivid green spears (all of which have to be harvested by hand when they reach the right height) of the UK’s most celebrated, indigenous icons arrived early this year. Asparagus will bring uniquely flavoursome elegance to any dish whether you use it raw (slice thinly or shave into salads), roasted, steamed, grilled, stir-fried or barbecued. It’s Feta’s best friend, tastes marvellous with mint, loves to be bathed in Hollandaise, and makes a glorious addition to risottos, tarts and pasta dishes. Spoiled for choice? You have from now until around the end of June to create asparagus alchemy.
Spinach
Morels
Many chefs consider the highly revered Morel to be the King of Mushrooms – and it’s easy to see why: earthy, nutty and uniquely fragrant with a honeycombed head and a thick, creamy coloured trunk, Morels look as special as they taste. But this lesser-spotted fungi has a very short season: six weeks if we’re lucky, from midApril to late May. Morels come with another warning, too: they must never be eaten raw as they contain a seriously nasty toxin called hydrazine. But, once cleaned (use a vegetable brush and treat them to a brief salt water soak) and cooked, the hazard lights are off. To experience full-on Morel magic, simply sauté them in hot oil and butter, season well and serve hot, on toast.steamed, grilled, stir-fried or barbecued.
Asparagus
Wild Garlic
One of the UK’s most overlooked seasonal treasures is growing freely (literally) in a hedgerow near you from now until very early summer. It grows plentifully in and around areas of mature woodland, and is especially abundant around Bath. At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the clusters of tiny white, star-shaped flowers for some variation on snowdrops, but close up, you’ll notice slender, spear-shaped, vivid green leaves and a pungent, garlicky aroma that belies the milder flavour of the plant itself.
Pick the leaves (and the flowers, to use as an interesting garnish), rinse them and use raw to add a subtle garlicky backdrop to salads, risottos and wilted spring greens, or chop finely and sprinkle over warm pizzas, hot soup, pasta/gnocchi sauces or an omelette. Wild garlic also makes a lovely pesto (processed with olive oil, pine nuts or walnuts and parmesan cheese), loves lamb, is fabulous with creamy mushrooms on toast and has a natural affinity with spring onion mash.
Rhubarb
Let’s get ready to crumble! Outdoor-grown rhubarb –thicker stemmed than its forced cousin, and brighter red in colour –thrives from now until around the end of June. It's easy to stalk the good stuff: just be sure to select bunches with firm, unblemished, snappable stalks, and off you go. But beware! Never, ever eat rhubarb leaves: they contain high levels of oxalic acid (poisonous to both people and animals) so dispose of them immediately.
To poach rhubarb, simply rinse, trim, chop and tip into a suitably sized pan with a sprinkling of caster sugar and a splash of water and simmer (partially covered) until soft. Roasting, meanwhile, brings a jammy, rich intensity to the rhubarb party: toss your prepped stalks with caster sugar, tip onto a baking tray (in a single layer), cover with foil and roast in a medium-hot oven for 15 minutes before shaking it all about, removing the foil and roasting for a further 5–10 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and the juices have turned syrupy. n
Wild garlic
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Kelly Mulhall, Nutritional Therapy graduate
Iworked for many years in events and marketing which was very stressful. My diet was poor, I lived off ready meals, pastries, crisps and coffee. I had suffered longterm with IBS, eczema and adult acne after coming off the pill for 15 years. I was run down and kept getting ill all the time. After countless trips to the GP and fruitless medical testing to get to the bottom of it all, I was so confused and upset as to why my body was completely out of sync. I’d finally met my tipping point. From then on, I decided to start taking my health into my own hands and exploring ways to improve my symptoms.
I was sure that my poor diet and prolonged hormonal contraception were not good for my body and wanted to make changes to my diet and lifestyle. Whilst talking to a friend, the topic of nutrition came up and it really resonated with me. There I was, struggling to enjoy full health and stumbling across Naturopathic Nutrition was like an epiphany moment. I could get to the root cause of my symptoms, and improve my health through food; a win-win! I went on to research different functional medicine degrees and realised none of them had any real-life clinical experience. CNM’s 200 clinical hours meant I would be confident in my own practice as soon as I graduated. It was a huge bonus to have so much real life clinical experience rather than just academic learning and case studies.
Nutrition has changed my life in every way possible. I think, feel, look and sleep better and I am constantly rewarded when I am able to help those around me to live a better life. Whether you are interested in learning more about nutrition and health for yourself, to help someone you know, or even to become a practitioner, studying with CNM is one of the greatest experiences you'll ever have. The knowledge you gain is invaluable and the ability to help others is everlasting. Voted Best College/University - 2021 IHCAN Education Awards
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