Why the Season Is So Brief — and So Worth Waiting For

British asparagus has one of the shortest seasons in the kitchen calendar. Traditionally it runs from St George's Day on 23 April to the summer solstice on 21 June, though warm springs can nudge it earlier and a cold one can hold it back. That is roughly eight weeks, and it exists for a good reason: after cutting stops, the plants must be left to grow into tall fern and store energy in their crowns for next year. Cut too long or too hard, and you weaken the bed.

In warm weather a field-grown spear can grow several centimetres in a single day, which is why growers walk the rows twice daily at the height of the season. Imported spears may be perfectly decent, but they have usually travelled for days. A British spear can be cut in the morning and on your plate by supper, and that freshness is what you are paying for. Sweetness in asparagus begins turning to starch the moment it is cut, so the difference is real, not just a matter of patriotism.

Choosing and Storing Spears at Their Best

Good asparagus tells you it is good. The tips should be tight, pointed and closed rather than splayed or going soft. Rub two spears together near your ear — fresh ones squeak. The cut ends should look pale and damp, not hollow, brown or dried out. Thickness is not a reliable guide to toughness; a thick spear from a young, vigorous crown can be far more tender than a thin, stringy one.

The traditional test is to hold a spear near the base and bend it. It will snap at the point where the fibres start to harden, and that is your natural trimming line — no ruler required. To store, trim the ends, stand the bunch upright in a jar with a couple of centimetres of water, or wrap in damp kitchen paper and put in a bag in the fridge. Use within two or three days. Leaving them stood in water for a week does them no favours at all.

The One Rule: Do Not Overcook It

Almost everything about asparagus is flexible except this. It wants to be tender but still with a little bite, and bright green. Olive-drab, floppy spears are a tragedy that could have been avoided with a timer.

• Steaming: three to five minutes for thick spears, two to three for thin ones, in a single layer.
• Boiling: a tall pan so the tips sit above the water and steam while the stems cook, or a wide pan for two to three minutes.
• Test with a knife at the thickest point — it should slide in with slight resistance.
• Dress while hot with butter, lemon and black pepper, and serve immediately. Asparagus cools quickly and loses its charm as it does.

Peeling is rarely necessary. Only bother if the lower stem is genuinely thick and leathery, and then peel just the bottom third, starting below the tip.

Griddled, Roasted and Chargrilled

Toss the spears in a little oil, season, and get your griddle pan properly hot. Four to six minutes, turning, until they are blistered in places and just tender. Roasting works just as well: a single layer in a tin at 200°C fan, eight to ten minutes, with lemon zest, a couple of sliced garlic cloves and a few thyme sprigs. Crowd the tin and they will steam rather than roast.

A barbecue is arguably the best treatment of all, because the smoke flatters their grassy flavour. Cooked this way, asparagus is excellent warm or at room temperature, which makes it a useful thing to put on the table with other dishes. Any leftovers the next day are very good with a boiled egg and a sharp vinaigrette, or chopped into a frittata.

Raw: Shaved, Ribboned and Crunchy

Raw asparagus is sweet, grassy and snaps like a sugar-snap pea. Use the thinnest spears, or shave thick ones lengthways with a peeler — hold by the tip, draw the peeler down to the woody end, turn and repeat. Soak the ribbons in iced water for ten minutes and they will curl and crisp up beautifully.

Dress them simply with lemon juice, good olive oil, salt and pepper, then add any of the following:

• Shaved parmesan and a few torn mint leaves
• Peas, sliced radishes and toasted pumpkin seeds
• A mustardy vinaigrette and plenty of chopped chives
• Crumbled feta with a squeeze of orange

They are also very good sliced on the diagonal into a warm salad with new potatoes, or served as a crudité with a bowl of garlicky aioli.

Simple Ways to Put It on the Table

Eggs and asparagus are one of the great partnerships. Soft-boiled eggs with buttered toast and steamed spears is a proper spring breakfast. A poached egg on top, with hollandaise if you are feeling generous or a mustard vinaigrette on a weekday, is even better.

For something quick, cut spears into short lengths, drop them into the pan for the last few minutes of the pasta's cooking, then drain and toss with butter, lemon zest, parmesan and plenty of black pepper. They also fold happily into risotto, a savoury tart, or a soup.

Do not throw away the woody ends. Simmer them with an onion, a carrot and a bay leaf for twenty minutes and you have a light stock that makes an excellent asparagus soup. To freeze a glut, blanch for two minutes, plunge into iced water, dry well and freeze — but only for soup or pasta later, as the texture will soften. Otherwise, buy by the bunch, cook it plainly, and eat it in the garden if the sun is out.