Asparagus with Poached Egg and Parmesan

If I can’t bang on about asparagus this week then when can I? If you ever eat the stuff they send us from Peru in December, forget it! This is to England in May, what Kate Bosworth is to The Coachella festival. The only thing Peru has ever done for us is beat Scotland 3-1 in the 1978 World Cup finals.

Cooked with a lightly poached egg and Parmesan this has to be the perfect May breakfast and gives me the opportunity to tell you how to poach eggs. Some people tell you to create a vortex in hot water, others will tell you to add vinegar, but all you have to do is bring a pan of water to the boil and then take off the hob. Crack an egg into a cup (this keeps the egg together when cooking) and slowly tip into the water; leave for about three minutes, or when the whites looked cooked and remove with a slotted spoon. For the Asparagus snap-off the bottom part and then peel the base with a veg peeler (use the trimmings for soup). Bring a fresh pan of water to the boil, add the asparagus and cook for three minutes. When plating-up add a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of black pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan

Asparagus