Our asparagus with lemon dressing is a simple side dish to try for your next summer barbecue with friends or family.
British asparagus season runs from mid-April to June, and although they're only around for a short time, we think they're worthy of showcasing in a whole range of recipes.
Put the lemon zest into a screw top jar, add the lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of sugar, then shake to mix.
Step 2
Half fill a frying pan with boiling salted water. Add the asparagus, then cover and simmer for 5min or until just tender.
Step 3
Remove the asparagus with a large draining spoon. If serving the asparagus cold, plunge it into a large bowl of iced water - this will help keep its bright green colour - then drain.
Step 4
To serve, arrange the asparagus in a concentric pattern in a large shallow bowl, with tips outwards and ends overlapping in the centre. Season -generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with the dressing.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).