Spring, when it finally arrives in the UK, doesn’t do so quietly. One minute it’s all grey skies and roots pulled from cold soil; the next, the markets are suddenly loud with green – asparagus in tidy bundles, peas still sweet from their pods, radishes with a peppery snap that feels like a wake-up call. After months of slow braises and beige comfort, cooking starts to feel lighter on its feet again.
This is the moment to lean in. Not with anything too fussy, but with dishes that let the vegetables do the talking – just enough heat, just enough richness, and then out of the way. Think soft ricotta sharpened with lemon, buttery pastry that flakes rather than fights, and greens that are barely cooked, still holding onto their bite and colour.
Across these recipes, the approach is simple but considered. A tart that feels almost assembled rather than cooked, its filling bright with herbs and piled high with blanched spring veg. A galette that leans rustic, all crisp edges and charred courgettes, the kind of thing you put in the middle of the table and let people tear into. And a quiche – properly set, generously filled – that reminds you why it’s endured as a staple long after it fell out of fashion.
It’s food that mirrors the season: fresh, optimistic, and just indulgent enough to feel like winter is finally behind us.
Spring vegetable tart
Serves: 6 people
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 x sheet of puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
250g ricotta
1 lemon, zested
A small handful of dill, roughly chopped
A small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
A pinch of Maldon Salt
Cracked black pepper
300g fine asparagus, trimmed
75g frozen broad beans
75g frozen garden peas
100g mixed radishes, larger ones cut in half
3 spring onions, julienned
Handful of pea shoots, to garnish
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Gently roll the puff pastry sheet onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Use a sharp knife to carefully score a 1cm border all the way around the edges of the pastry, cutting most of the way through but not all the way. Then brush the edges with the beaten egg and place into the preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden brown and puffed up.
3. Remove the pastry from the oven and gently press down the puffed-up pastry in the centre so you are left with just the border raised. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, chopped dill and parsley. Then season well with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.
5. Put a pan of water on to boil. Once simmering, add the asparagus spears, broad beans and peas. Blanch them for 2 minutes until just cooked, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately place into a bowl of iced water – this will help the vegetables retain their green colour and some of the crunch. Once cold, drain and set aside.
6. Add the julienned spring onion strips into another small bowl with iced water and submerge. This will encourage the spring onion to coil up and create curls.
7. To assemble the tart, spoon the ricotta mix onto the base of the pastry and spread evenly to the edges of the middle, leaving the borders. Arrange the asparagus, broad beans and peas across the top. Finish with the radishes, spring onion curls and pea shoots. Drizzle with good-quality olive oil and finish with a final sprinkle of Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper.
Spring vegetable galette
Serves: 4 people
Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
300g wholewheat spelt flour
Pinch of Maldon Salt
175g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 egg, beaten
250g ricotta
1 lemon, zested
Cracked black pepper
15g chives, finely chopped
15g fresh dill, finely chopped plus extra to garnish
1 large courgette, cut into thin slices lengthways
150g asparagus tips
75g fresh peas
1 egg, beaten
Method:
1. Start by making the wholewheat spelt pastry. In a large bowl mix together the spelt flour and Maldon Salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub it into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs – it is ok here to have a few larger lumps of butter as it is a rougher textured pastry. Once the butter is incorporated, make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg. Mix this in, along with 1 or 2 tbsp of cold water to make it come together to form a smooth and slightly tacky dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and allow it to rest in the fridge for 40 minutes.
2. While the dough is resting, prepare the fillings for the galette. In a small bowl mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, chopped chives and dill plus some cracked black pepper and Maldon Salt.
3. Heat a griddle pan and brush each side of the courgette slices with olive oil. When the pan is hot, grill the courgette slices on each side for 1 minute or so until they have nice char lines and have softened. Do this in batches and remove the slices from the pan as they are cooked onto a plate. Preheat the oven to 180C.
4. Once the dough has rested, remove it from the fridge and remove the clingfilm. Lightly dust a surface with flour and then roll the pastry out until it is roughly ½ cm thick. The edges can remain fairly rustic as that is the style of this galette. Roll the pastry around your rolling pin and transfer onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread the ricotta mixture across the pastry, leaving a 1-inch gap around the edges.
5. Top the ricotta with the fresh garden peas, and then scatter across the asparagus spears. Drizzle this with olive oil. Then carefully fold the edges of the pastry in and slowly crimp and fold as you work your way around. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg.
6. Place the galette in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the charred courgette slices to the top of the filling, giving them texture and shape by curling them amongst the peas and asparagus. Place the galette back in the oven for a further 5–10 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden brown and the courgette is warmed through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over some dill fronds, some cracked black pepper and some Maldon Salt.
Spring vegetable quiche
Serves: 6 people
Prep time: 40 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling time | Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
300g plain white flour
Pinch of Maldon Sea Salt
150g unsalted cold butter, cubed
3-4 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
1 knob butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, finely sliced
150g asparagus, cut into 3-inch pieces at an angle
100g frozen peas
2 spring onions, finely sliced
4 large eggs, we used Burford Browns
150ml double cream
150ml milk
Small handful of chives, finely chopped
Maldon Sea Salt
Cracked black pepper
75g soft goats’ cheese, crumbled
Salad, to serve
Method:
1. Start by making the pastry. Place the flour and Maldon Sea Salt into a large bowl and mix together. Then add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs and there are no large lumps of butter left. Alternatively, you can do this by pulsing it a few times in a food processor. Then add the cold water (start with 3 tbsp and see if you need more) and mix together until it starts to clump and there are no floury or dry patches. Tip onto the work surface and gently knead until it comes together as a smooth pastry. Then lightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry out with a rolling pin until it is 1 cm thickness. Carefully lift it and line a 23cm fluted tart tin, pressing gently into the sides, but leaving some pastry to overhang. Use a cutlery fork to prick some holes onto the base and then place the lined tin into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.
3. After 30 minutes, take the pastry case out of the fridge and put onto a flat baking sheet. Scrunch up some baking paper and put this onto the pastry then fill with baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for 15 mins, then remove the baking beans and paper and return for another 5–7 mins, until the pastry is very lightly golden and feels chalky to the touch. Remove from oven and set aside to allow to cool slightly. Then take a sharp serrated knife and carefully trim off the excess pastry overhangs so it has a nice, neat edge.
4. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and add the knob of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Then add the sliced leek and sauté gently until soft and starting to caramelise. Place a pan of water on to boil, and then add the asparagus and frozen peas – you just want to blanch them quickly for 2 minutes, then remove from the pan and place into a bowl with iced water to stop them cooking any further.
5. In a jug, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and chives and season well with Maldon Sea Salt and cracked black pepper. Spoon the veg into the pastry case and crumble over the goat’s cheese. Then pour over the egg mixture and bake in the oven for 30 mins until the filling is set and the top is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly then serve with a green salad.
Recipes from maldonsalt.com
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