The flavours of Spring and a valley of snowdrops

Spring across England is beautiful and full of unexpected surprises. London lunch breaks amongst the daffodils in St James' Park; finding a new farm shop on the way down to Cornwall (in St Kew) that sells the most amazing sourdough bread, eggs from their own quail and Cornish rape seed oil; and in Devon, discovering a valley full of snowdrops in the middle of Exmoor...

For me, the smells and flavours that encapsulate Spring are floral. Roses, violets, bluebells, hyacinth and bridal crown narcissus. This salad sums up the taste of the season - light, fresh, tangy goat's cheese (from the cheese monger on Venn Street Market), crisp young pea shoots, the sweetness from baby figs and finished with a wonderful rose-scented olive oil. This oil (from Fortnum and Mason) is pretty pricey at £14 for a small bottle but the flavour is incredible - like eating a bouquet of roses!

Served on a rye and walnut toast and drizzled with a fig balsamic, this salad would work well as a starter or light lunch. A few pink rose petals would also be a perfect spring touch to finish it off. 

Supper for an Indian Summer - gnocchi with garlicky leeks & mint

I can't actually believe how stiflingly hot it is in London at the moment. My kitchen is about 100C, even with the windows wide open. Not that I'm complaining, it's just not what I normally expect when October's round the corner.

When it's that hot, something Autumnal and wholesome like a partridge pie (which was the original plan), really won't cut it - something lighter (mint, gnocchi, peas and pan-fried garlicky leeks, topped with Parmesan) is much more likely to hit the mark...