Cook up seasonal food that’s perfect for starters or sides

Asparagus with crispy poached egg 

Egg and asparagus are well-kent bedfellows and this easy but impressive dish makes for a show-stopping starter or a decadent Sunday brunch.  

Deep frying is a great way to keep moisture inside the batter casing. Despite the fact it seems a harsh way to cook, it is actually rather delicate. The high heat seals the product inside, effectively steaming it in its own heat. 

Serves 4 

20 thin asparagus spears 

4 whole medium eggs 

1 tsp white vinegar 

1 beaten egg 

100g seasoned plain flour 

300g panko breadcrumbs 

Poach your eggs until just set for 2 ½ minutes. Carefully remove them from the pan and into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. You can make the eggs and leave them like this for as long as you need – they’ll keep in the fridge like that for several days.   

Blanch your asparagus for 2 minutes and then dunk into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking and retain their vibrant colour. Set aside. 

Preheat a deep fat fryer or a pan of vegetable oil to 180°c, or until a cube of bread browns within 15 seconds of hitting the oil. Dry the eggs off and very carefully dip them in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fry them for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown. 

Place the asparagus on the toast, add the egg carefully on top and a little wild garlic aioli on the side. Squeeze over some lemon juice, season with flaked sea salt and serve immediately. Repeat as often as you can until this criminally short season is over! 

Chard and walnuts with lemon vinaigrette 

From the beetroot family and packed with antioxidants, chard is the quirky middle child between frivolous spinach and serious kale. Sautéed with butter and garlic, it’s a snap to prepare with a little more substance than its younger sibling and a lot less attitude than its elder. Some of the stems can be tough, so trim out the very thick ones. Younger, more tender stems can be chopped with the leaves, or stripped out, finely diced and given a few minutes more cooking. Any type will work here – the rainbow ones we see most often in supermarkets and delis are a collection of differing varieties bunched together for their bright colours. This dish would be a perfect partner for fish and can be made with spring greens if chard proves hard to come by. 

Serves 2 

200g rainbow chard 

25g butter 

1 clove garlic, sliced 

Handful walnuts 

Juice and zest of half a lemon 

Extra virgin olive oil 

Sea salt and black pepper 

Make the dressing by adding the lemon juice and zest to the olive oil in a 1:3 ratio and whisking to combine. Season and set aside.

Place the walnuts on a dry baking sheet and toast for 7 – 10 minutes in the oven at 180°c. Trim the chard and chop roughly.

Melt the butter and wilt the leaves for a couple of minutes, add a splash of water and the garlic and cook until the water has evaporated. Toss when still warm in the vinaigrette and throw the toasted walnuts on top for crunch. 

Catch Sarah Rankin at Ideal Home Show Scotland at SEC, Glasgow this May. The Ideal Home Show Scotland brings together hundreds of brands to shop from, live talks from top celebrities, the latest technology, and fresh ideas from our team of experts. Tickets also include free entry to The Eat & Drink Festival. For more information visit: idealhomeshowscotland.co.uk  

Find more recipes in Sarah’s cookery book, Kith