After the olive harvest and pruning of the trees the olive groves produce a new harvest, wild asparagus. It springs up from the dry parched earth for another glorious harvest from nature.

I’m lucky, I live surrounded by olive groves so you can find me out there – the intrepid hunter of fresh wild asparagus.

The way I like to eat my little gathering is in soup. This recipe can be made into a chunky soup or liquidized for a smooth creamy soup.

See this quick and easy soup that is equally delicious with bought asparagus, if you've no olive groves near you!

Asparagus Soup – for four people

350g green asparagus
1 leek
8 lettuce leeks
1 tbsp flour
1 litre chicken stock
½ glass single cream
2 egg yolks
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper

Method

Wash the leeks and lettuce leaves then chop them finely, keeping the two apart. Wash the asparagus and cut off the tips and save for decoration. Chop the rest of the asparagus stems up evenly.

Heat the oil gently and add the leeks, cooking for about five minutes, then add the lettuce and cook for a further two minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir it well, letting it cook. Add the stock little by little until the flour is mixed in nicely.

Add the chopped asparagus and seasoning and let it simmer gently for about twenty minutes.

Boil the tips of the asparagus for five minutes in slightly salted water and drain them well setting aside to decorate the soup.

After twenty minutes or when the vegetables are tender you can liquidize the mixture for a creamed soup. It will be very hot so you might want to leave it to cool down a little first.

Put the egg yolks into a seperate bowl and beat them well, then add the cream and add this soup. Put the pan back onto the heat and heat slowly and gently – stirring all the time.

Do not let it boil and keep it moving so the eggs don't seperate and it doesn't stick.

Serve straight away decorated with the asparagus tips and a swirl of cream.
Some finely chopped cooked bacon bits look good on the top or some homemade croutons.

Croutons are quick to make and are a good way of using up stale bread. Just chop some sliced bread up into small squares, heat some olive oil and add the squares – fry until golden brown and remove onto kichen paper to drain the excess oil from them. Use them immediately added to your soup or you can store them for a day or two in an airtight container - a tin is best.