GREEN spears will soon be appearing on the shelves in a shop near you - and for a change they will be British born and bred.

St George’s Day marked the start of the harvest and therefore the season of asparagus.

A great vegetable, asparagus is incredibly versatile and can be eaten with practically everything and anything.

The best thing about it? It can cook in a matter of minutes so add it to any meal as a second thought, or prepare for something special in advance.

There are plenty of recipes and ideas online so the possibilities are endless. Have it in pies, pasta, with meat, fish or sometimes it’s best just by itself with salt, pepper and butter.

An asparagus dish would obviously be nothing without the green stuff, so head to Greenbanks, Kendal, for some new season Wye Valley asparagus at £2.75 per 250g pack.

Find a perfect partner in food with Jersey Royal potatoes at 99p per 1b and enjoy the two together hot or cold.

The Honeypot at Hawkshead has its very own hollandaise sauce at £2.99 per 235g jar, ideal for drizzling over the top.

You could even make it into more of a salad by soft boiling their free range duck eggs, which come in at £1.80 for six, or try something a bit different and sprinkle over some smoked Lancashire cheese at £1.06 for 100g.

Add some protein to the mix and try out lamb chops from Plumgarth’s Farm Shop, Kendal, at £14.99 for 3lb. Roast the lamb with rosemary and roast the asparagus too.

They also have meat packs for £30 and £15 with gammon, chicken fillets, a whole chicken, burgers, sausages, stewing beef and mince. Use your imagination and experiment with different concoctions till your heart’s content!

Or, use the chicken and asparagus in a pasta dish using double cream from a local farm at £1.43 for 284ml from Witherslack Community Stores. Alternatively, make more of a carbonara with linguine and use their Low Foulshaw Farm, Levens, eggs priced at £1.20 for half a dozen.

You could do this by using maple cured bacon from Dales Butchers, Kendal, at £4.25 for 454g, or stick it in a salad.

They even have their very own chicken, ham and asparagus pie at £3.75 for a two to three portion pack, so save yourself the trouble and embrace the new season by putting it in the oven and putting your feet up.

To finish off any salad or pasta dish, make your way to Low Sizergh Barn, Sizergh, for their Parmigiano Reggiano parmesan at £2.28 per 100g.

And for something after, try a Westmorland Pepper Cake loaf at £7.95. This fruit-cake like loaf is handbaked by the Ginger Bakers of Kendal and has forgotten food status.

Grange Bakery also has sweet treats to tempt you after your meal, with a honey and banana loaf, made from spelt flower at £2.60, or a vegan and gluten free lemon or sticky toffee pudding both priced at £2.95 which serves four.