I love the asparagus season in England. It only lasts a few weeks but during this time they taste especially wonderful.

I never want to do too much with my asparagus. A little melted butter works really well, but I usually leave them well alone. Roasting them with a little olive oil is as good as it gets for me.

Ready

• Asparagus stalks (not the scrawny ones)
• Good olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lemon (optional)

Set

• Roasting pan
• Peeler

Go

1. You will want to remove the tough end of each of the stalks. Thankfully, nature provides a great method for doing this. Take a single stalk and take an end in each hand. Bend the ends towards you (so the centre of the stalk bends away from you) until the stalk snaps. This should leave about an inch or so of inedible asparagus in one hand and the tender end in the other.
2. If your stalks are thick and woody, use the peeler to remove the outer layer. You can, if you prefer, just remove the protruding leaves.
3. Place the asparagus on your baking tray and drizzle some olive oil over them. Turn them over with your hands (which are the most gentle of kitchen tools — you don’t want to break them) until they are all coated in oil.
4. Crack some fresh pepper over them and a little sea salt.
5. Perheat your oven to 400°F. Roast for around 10 minutes and serve immediately with a drizzle of lemon if you like.