Spring is, for any chef worth their salt, the most exciting time of year. After months of root vegetables and hearty stews, the first signs of the new season arrive like a breath of fresh air — tender asparagus, peppery wild garlic, sweet heritage carrots, and the first delicate herbs pushing through the soil.
There is a particular joy in designing a spring menu. The ingredients almost demand to be treated simply — a light touch, clean flavours, and an emphasis on freshness rather than complexity. This is cooking that celebrates the ingredient itself, rather than burying it under layers of technique.
For a recent private dining event, I designed a spring tasting menu that began with a chilled pea velouté — silky, vibrant, and finished with nothing more than a swirl of mint oil and a spoonful of crème fraîche. It was the kind of dish that reminds you why seasonal cooking matters: because when an ingredient is at its peak, it needs very little help.
The main course centred on a beautiful rack of Welsh lamb — pink, tender, and full of flavour — served with wild garlic, new season potatoes, and a light rosemary jus. Lamb in spring is one of those combinations that feels almost inevitable, and yet when the lamb is this good, it never feels ordinary.
Dessert was a lemon posset with elderflower sorbet and a crumble of lavender shortbread — light, fragrant, and the perfect ending to a meal that celebrated the season from start to finish.
If you are planning an event this spring and want a menu that truly reflects the best of the season, I would be delighted to create something bespoke for you.
Chef Jamie Tully
Private Chef & Culinary Storyteller