Ah, asparagus – food of the gods. We eat loads of it when it’s around, but we won’t have imported asparagus, so it’s a short season for us.

This serves 2

Take half a bunch or so of English asparagus, trim off the woody bits, slice into 3cm-ish chunks, and blanch for about 5 minutes, or to taste. Drain the cooking water into a measuring jug, and set the asparagus to one side.

Finely chop some spring onions, and sauté them gently in an ovenproof pan in olive oil and butter, along with a packet of pancetta cubes. Add 5 oz risotto rice and turn it about in the pan.

In the measuring jug with the asparagus water, add the juice of a lemon and a couple of fl oz of white vermouth, then top it up to a pint with cold water. Add this to the pan, bring to the boil, and bung in a slow oven – gas 3 – for 20 minutes.

Remove, stir, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, stir in some shaved parmesan, dish into bowls. Utterly delicious.

Return to the kitchen afterwards to spot what you, dear readers, probably already had … the asparagus still in its pan. Sigh a lot, and eat it cold. Also delicious.

This is what is known in our house as a badger moment, since the day I looked in the mirror and saw the grey streaks in my hair, and shrieked to Pete that I was turning into a badger ..

* Yes, I know that strictly speaking it’s not a risotto, and I don’t care.