Asparagus and Parmesan Cheese

Sophie counts in Base 6.

This is a yummy starter that we have all the time in my family - despite the asparagus season being rather short! We have supermarkets to guiltily thank for the year-round possibility. Anyway, this is of course best with local, fresh asparagus, and is one of the best ways of enjoying it.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 spears of asparagus per person
• a block of Parmesan
• very good olive oil
• black pepper

Steam the asparagus for 6-7 minutes, or until cooked as you like it (I prefer mine just shading from bright green to pine green), then place on individual plates. Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, shave over a few pieces of Parmesan on each plate. Drizzle with olive oil and grate over some fresh black pepper, then serve immediately, preferably with a crisp white wine. (We didn't, as we were about to start the wine-tasting for the wedding wine, and it would have been a bad idea!)

Watercress Soup

This makes an excellent starter, which is how I serve it tonight. It might be difficult to bulk this out to a full meal, so just serve first and enjoy. Even if you don't like watercress raw, this is a delicious soup; the spiciness of the cress dims immediately on cooking, leaving an earthy, savoury yet springlike taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 1 small potato
• 300ml hot stock (bouillon is fine)
• 1 bunch of watercress

Finely chop the onion and sweat in olive oil or butter over a low heat for 8 minutes, until transparent. Meanwhile, finely cube the potato, then add to the pan and allow to colour, stirring every so often so it doesn't stick. It's fine if a layer of golden starch builds up on the bottom of the pan, just don't let anything burn.

Pour in the hot stock and scrape the pan to deglaze it, then cover and simmer. Meanwhile, shred the watercress - Delia likes to use only the leaves, but I have found no problem including the stalks, if shredded finely. When the potatoes are just tender, add the watercress, stir once, replace the lid, and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes until the leaves have wilted and the colour of the stalks has brightened.

Remove from the heat and blend thoroughly using an electric blender. Remove any stringy bits if they refuse to blend. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and a grating of black pepper.

Pumpkin Scone

I've been eating this for lunch for a couple of days, and every time my colleagues see it they ask what it is, and how I make it! It's a great replacement for bread if you're bored of sandwiches, and serves well alongside a few slices of sharp cheddar or soft goat's cheese. You could also slice it into small pieces, top with goats cheese and a few snippets of chive, and use as a vegetarian starter.

Again it's an adaptation of a Nigel Slater recipe; this time I've changed the cooking method as I don't own a shallow oven-proof pan. We're still working our way through the Crown Prince and it's the perfect ingredient here. However I think you could comfortably substitute sweet potato; perhaps use a little less milk to adjust for its higher water content.

Ingredients:

• 300g peeled and de-seeded pumpkin
• 140g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 70g butter
• 1 egg
• 90 ml warm milk
• 2 tsp thyme leaves

Cut the pumpkin into ~3cm chunks and steam for 20 minutes, or until tender enough to mash. Whiz the flour, baking soda, salt and butter together in a food processor. Drain the pumpkin and mash with a fork or potato masher, and beat in the egg, milk and thyme leaves. Season with black pepper. Combine the pumpkin and flour mixtures gently, stirring until no more flour is visible, but no further.

Warm a non-stick frying pan with a little vegetable oil to a low to medium heat. When the oil is warm, tip the dough in, scraping out the bowl and flattening the top. It takes patience at this point, as the cool dough will reduce the temperature of the pan, but don't be tempted to turn the heat up. Instead, cook for about ten minutes, and in the meantime preheat the grill to medium. You'll see the edges of the scone start to vent steam; at this point lift the edge of the scone gently and check the underside; it should be golden-brown.

Put the whole pan a few inches underneath the grill to finish off; the top should have a thin, golden-brown crust. If you know your grill well, you can grill it on medium for five minutes, then switch it off and leave it took cook in the residual heat. Serve warm, especially with cheese. It keeps for a few days, covered, in a cool place rather than the fridge.