The first English asparagus is in the shops now – thick stalked spears from Herefordshire's Wye Valley and there’ll be plenty more to come over the next eight weeks. The season runs, typically, until Midsummer's Day (June 21)

Whichever way you choose to cook asparagus - boiled, griddled (a combination of the two), steamed or oven roasted – don’t overdo it. Cook for just a few minutes, or 12-25 minutes if oven roasting at 180C/gas6.

The best spears are those that have only been a couple of hours out of the ground. They have an unbeatable, intense grassy flavour. look for vibrant green stems with a slight lustre. The tips should be intact and the stems smooth. Wrinkled and bendy stems are a sign of ageing.

When you break and trim asparagus, don't throw away the trimmings and ends - they make a great stock for soups and risottos.

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Serve asparagus with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and butter; evoo – twitter speak for extra virgin olive oil -, balsamic vinegar and shaved parmesan cheese; with a Hollandaise to dip; blanketed in Parma ham; in a frittata with tarragon, or on a bed of cooked ham topped with a poached duck’s egg.

Matching a wine with new-season asparagus is a tricky business. Look for wines that are young and fresh such as a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Go for French SB with steamed spears and a New World bottle with the slightly smokier flavour of griddled asparagus. For asparagus served with a hollandaise sauce or melted butter, a French Vin de pays d'Oc unoaked young Chardonnay will balance that richness.

Asparagus festivals are held across the country from Essex to Yorkshire – visit british-asparagus.co.uk for more details. St George's Day sees the Great English Asparagus Run, starting at the Bell Tower in Evesham and The Bretforton Silver Band & Asparagus Auction is held at The Fleece Inn, Bretforton at 7pm on the May 24.

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