One of the joys of Spring/Early Summer is the start of asparagus season. British asparagus is such a special treat: the flavour is very different from those that are grown further afield – you really can’t beat it for that delicious sweetness and crunch.

While there’s a myriad of recipes out there, this is a really easy one to do, as it’s so quick, and you don’t need a huge range of ingredients. It’s also a bit of a movable feast, as you can ring the changes with different toppings.

ingredients:

(Serves 2)

• 1/2 roll of ready-made puff pastry

• 1 jar of Manfood Smoky Onion Relish

• 1 bunch of asparagus

• 1 packet of soft goat’s cheese/herb soft cheese

• 1 egg, beaten

Optional:

• Fresh parsley

• Lemon

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

• 1 pack ready-rolled puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten

Equipment

• Baking tray

• Pastry brush

• Knife

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan/Gas mark 4.
2. Unroll the pastry, then using a sharp knife, cut half the pastry off the roll, including the paper backing it, as you can use this to line the baking tray.
3. This method only uses half the pastry, as there’s only two of us, but obviously, if you’re cooking for more people, use the whole sheet.
4. Move the pastry and paper to a baking sheet, then with the back of your knife, score out about a 2cm/1-inch border on the rectangle of pastry, taking care not to cut all the way through the pastry.
5. Spread a thin layer of Manfood Smoky Onion Relish on the inside of the frame. Then top it with a row of pre-washed asparagus. If the asparagus stems are a little woody, do peel them. Finish by crumbling the cheese over the top of the tart.
6. Before putting in the oven, if you want to be fancy, you can do decorative scoring on the edge of the pastry frame, but make sure you brush it with beaten egg.
7. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
8. Finish with some chopped parsley and lemon zest.
9. You can serve this tart warm or cool with a salad.