I’ve been revelling in some downtime recently, soaking up the spring days in beautiful corners of the country. One trip took me to the Cotswolds, where I ate my first asparagus of the year at Ox Barn.

The asparagus we ate was from Wye Valley and came with chef Charlie Hibbert’s riff on the classic French polonaise: parsley, buttery breadcrumbs and grated egg; plus his addition, peanuts, which has since become my favourite way to eat asparagus.

The week after, we drove to the very tip of Cornwall, where we stayed in a little apartment with a modest kitchen. In an attempt to counter the chips and ice-cream, I made this traybake celebrating spring veg. It uses orange rather than lemon for acidity, which leads us perfectly from the cold into the promise of spring.

Mustard-and-orange-dressed spring salad

Baby leeks, purple sprouting broccoli and broad beans would work well in this warm traybake salad, too.

Prep 15 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 4

4 eggs

250g asparagus, woody ends snapped off

1 bunch spring onions

150g radishes, halved and tops left on

2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

200g fresh peas

1 small bunch dill, leaves picked

For the dressing

Juice and zest of 1 unwaxed orange

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Boil the eggs in a pan of salted water for five minutes, then drain and run under the cold tap to cool. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Arrange the asparagus, spring onions, radishes and garlic on a roasting tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, season, then roast for 10-15 minutes, until the asparagus is just tender and the radishes still have a little bite. Add the peas while everything is still hot and toss.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Add all the ingredients to a jar or small bowl, season, then shake or whisk to mix. Toss the warm salad in a little of the dressing.

Divide between four plates with the soft-boiled eggs sliced in half, and top with the dill and a drizzle of the orange dressing.

Asparagus polonaise

A classic French polonaise does not include peanuts or lime, but I love the crunch and freshness these two ingredients bring.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Welcome to springtime: Anna Jones’ asparagus polonaise. Photograph: Matt Russell/The Guardian

Prep 15 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 4

2 slices sourdough

2 eggs

50g salted butter

1 large handful unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

Zest of 2 unwaxed limes

Salt and black pepper

500g asparagus, woody ends snapped off

1 small bunch parsley, leaves picked

For the dressing

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lime



Tear the bread into ½cm pieces, and blitz to a rough crumb in a food processor. Boil the eggs in a pan of salted simmering water for eight minutes, then drain and run under the cold tap. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Heat the butter in a frying pan, fry the breadcrumbs until golden and crisp, then transfer to a bowl. In the same pan, toast the peanuts for a minute or two, until golden, then add to the breadcrumbs. Grate in the zest of both the limes, season and mix.

To make the dressing, mix the olive oil with the juice of one of the zested limes and a good pinch each of salt and pepper.

Boil the asparagus for three to five minutes (depending on its size), until tender. Drain well and immediately toss in the dressing.

Lay the warm asparagus on a large plate, grate over the egg and scatter with breadcrumbs and parsley.