With temperatures set to reach 20 degrees this Easter weekend (really?!) it certainly feels as if Summer is here at long last. With the change in temperature comes a wealth of British produce, the first being delicious asparagus. This recipe is taken from The Countryfile Magazine and is perfect for a light mid-week dinner utilising the British produce.

As always, all the ingredients can be found in the farm shop:

4 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 bundles of British asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths
100g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
200g risotto rice
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 bunches of watercress roughly chopped
50g lightly salted butter, cut into cubes
50g grated parmesan
Salt & pepper

Method:

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Sweat for 10 minutes until they turn translucent.
While they are cooking, heat a medium sized frying pan and add the rest of the oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the asparagus and tomatoes. Season. Cook for 30 seconds and remove from the heat and set aside.
Stir the rice into the onions and shallots and cook until the rice has turned translucent. Add the stock slowly whilst stirring (and even a glass of wine if you’d like!) and simmer until it has all been absorbed. Cook for about 20 minutes – add more stock or water if needed.
When the rice is cooked, stir in the watercress, asparagus and tomatoes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and parmesan, season well.
Enjoy!