In praise of the skinny

Skinny asparagus, that is. I always love this time of year when the super skinny asparagus hits the market stalls and green grocers. Even my butcher, Bob Dove, always has a few bundles for sale. Compared to these sleek delights, the fat stuff pales into comparison and don't even talk to me about the tinned, or the white, they have no place on my table! But the skinny stuff, served as a starter, a between meal snack, a welcoming nibble with drinks, now we're talking.

It's set to be a scorcher this weekend, so we're planning to make the most of what may only be a short glimpse of summertime to roll out all of our favourites. So drinks wise, we're opting for campari served with freshly squeezed oranges, and some ice cubes. And for soft drinks, we like to make cucumber and lemon water, enjoying a bit of a revival at the moment thanks to the efforts of Kate at Stealth PR. She has got this onto the menu at Giant Robot, and also at our friend Sonya Winner's home boutique sale this week, where she displayed her amazing graphic rugs, and we sampled the delights of London Edible Gardens. We also met – and sampled the wares of – a Jewish pig and cow farmer who lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb – but this fascinating lady deserved a blog post all of her own, so watch this space…

And for food, well this weekend, it has to be lots of bundles of this skinny asparagus, steamed for a couple of minutes, then grilled or barbecued, then left to cool slightly and served with balsamic dressing and shavings of pecorino or Parmesan.

Heading up our barbecue this weekend will be some sirloin from the aforementioned farmer, and some fresh tuna steaks, marinated in lime and chilli. I'll be serving these with cold udon noodles tossed in sesame oil and tamari dressing, garnished with fresh coriander and sesame seeds.

Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy your cooking, and do share your weekend recipes with us!