Seasonal Party Food: What to Serve in Spring

Spring produces the most anticipated party ingredients of the year. Asparagus, morels, peas, and rhubarb have very short seasons; wasting them on recipes that do not put them at the centre is a culinary error.

Asparagus arrives in northern hemisphere markets between late April and mid-June, depending on latitude. English asparagus (available May to June at most) is the finest variety commonly available in Europe; Washington state asparagus (available April onwards) is the standard American market variety. Both are completely different from the year-round Peruvian asparagus found in supermarkets — the latter is adequate; the former is the reason for the season.

For party use, asparagus works best at two formats:

1. A whole roasted asparagus platter: toss 200g per four guests in olive oil and flaky salt, roast at 220C (425F) for 8–10 minutes until just charred at the tips. Serve with a soft-boiled egg sauce or aioli. This is the centrepiece, not a side dish.

1. Shaved raw asparagus salad: the very thin spears (pencil asparagus) can be shaved with a vegetable peeler and dressed with lemon, olive oil, and Parmesan. This works as a starter or as a refined buffet element.

Morel mushrooms are the spring luxury that most party hosts overlook. They cost more than almost any other ingredient in this guide but at a price-per-portion level — morels are used in small quantities for enormous flavour impact — they are actually reasonable. A 200g bag of dried morels (approximately £12–18) will season a risotto or sauce for twelve people and provide flavour complexity that money cannot buy from any other source. For a special dinner party in April or May, a morel risotto is the correct centrepiece for the season.

Rhubarb is the forgotten party ingredient. It is tart, vivid pink when cooked, and pairs with cream and custard in a way that nothing else does. A rhubarb and custard tart, made from the forced Yorkshire rhubarb available from January through March, is the right dessert for a dinner party in the first quarter of the year. The colour alone is worth the effort.