St George's Day heralds the start of the all-too-short British asparagus season; typically, it runs until Midsummer's Day (June 21). Thick-stalked spears from Herefordshire's Wye Valley are luscious and only have one wee, well-known side effect.
* Aspergere = 'to sprinkle' in Latin. Try sprinkling asparagus stems with freshly-grated parmesan and a hint of balsamic and 'evoo' (twitter-speak forr Extra Virgin olive Oil).
