The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

Mother’s Day—all holidays we celebrate in the UK much the same as in the States. One of my favorites though is the Kentucky Derby, held in early May, which reminds me of the Royal Ascot races and Derby Day at Epsom. The Queen, who’s passionate about horse racing, always attends both. A much younger me and my mates would prepare the Royal hampers for the Royal Box at each racecourse and then wander around the grounds, placing bets and confirming that yes, horse racing did indeed attract the most beautiful “fillies” per square meter than any other place on earth! Even though I live in Texas my cooking during the season remains rooted in my remembrances of English spring time. I yearn for the Jersey Royal potatoes back home. They have a unique flavor that comes from a combination of the island of Jersey’s rich fertile soil and layers of seaweed used as fertilizer. Rinsed under cold water to wash away any mud and never peeled but boiled with a large spring of mint and seasoned while hot with sea salt and cracked pepper and drizzled with Cornish butter they shout, “spring has arrived!” There

are fresh English peas and thin and thick spears of asparagus, both served simply and with a good lashing of sweet butter. I collect lots of early lettuces from the garden that go right into the salad bowl, drizzled with olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Small, intensely sweet local strawberries, the first of the season, show up in lots of ways, usually paired with freshly whipped Chantilly cream, a favorite of my wife and son. Come Sunday dinner, a joint of roast lamb is very much appreciated in our household served with mint sauce and roasted tiny new potatoes. A slice of lemon tart for dessert, citrusy and tangy, looks like sunshine on a plate. Spring never seems to last very long and sometimes the busyness of life blinkers us. But subtly at first and then with a shout, nature opens up in full bloom. The beauty and bounty of the farms and gardens around me provide the perfect entry into seasonal entertaining with menus that use local produce and underscore the maxim, "What grows together, goes together.”

15 SPRING