By early April we had Old Cummings Farm asparagus and Spring was off to a delicious start! Paired with juicy flakes of salmon fillet and the vibrant flavour of fresh mint - also newly out of the ground - this risotto is a celebration of Spring and lighter cooking is here to stay for a good many months to come.

Ingredients - serves 4 350g Essential arborio rice 1 glass white wine 2 litres Kallo chicken stock 1 onion, finely chopped 75g Yeo Valley butter 250g bundle of local asparagus 450g Sustainable Salmon Co salmon fillets 200g defrosted frozen peas 1 tbsp freshly chopped mint salt, pepper

Method

Poach the salmon in simmering water with a squeeze of lemon juice, a little white wine, salt and peppercorns for 6-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. Flake the fish and set aside in a warm place.

Bend the asparagus spears until they snap at the point where the woodiness of the stem ends, discard this part and trim the ends. Cut the stems into 2cm lengths and boil for 4 minutes to barely tender (cook the tips for only 3 minutes), drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and gently cook the chopped onion for a few minutes to soften then add the arborio rice and turn to coat in butter, season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium and add white wine, cook until almost totally absorbed then add half of the chicken stock. Once this has been taken up by the rice, add the rest and continue until the rice is almost cooked then fold in the peas and blanched asparagus and continue for a final 2-3 minutes of gentle cooking. Now, chop the mint and fold it in too (chop it sooner and it will blacken).

Divide the risotto between four warmed pasta bowls, topping with juicy flakes of salmon and the asparagus tips.

Bens's wine suggestion: serve with Domaine St Paul Sauvignon Blanc.