Rosemary Barron’s Flavours of Greece (Grub Street, Press, £18.99) includes a glorious mix of recipes, many of which call for basic ingredients that can still be found growing wild alongside country footpaths. This simple omelette uses the slender young shoots of asparagus.

YOU WILL NEED 8oz (225g) tender shoots of asparagus 2 tbspn extra virgin olive oil 1 tbspn fresh lemon juice Coarse-grain sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste Four eggs lightly beaten Coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley Lemon wedges Method: Trim away tough ends of asparagus stalks and blanch the spears in boiling water for five seconds.

Rinse under cold water, drain dry and cut into 2in (5cm) pieces.

Warm the olive oil in a 9in (23cm) omelette pan and sauté the asparagus over medium-low heat until barely tender. n Sprinkle with the lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Pour the beaten eggs over the asparagus and tilt the pan to distribute evenly. Reduce the heat to low.

When the omelette is lightly set, lift one edge with a palette knife to allow any still-liquid egg to flow underneath.

Slide the omelette out on to a plate, invert the pan over the plate, and firmly holding both, invert once more so the omelette is upside down in the pan.

Cook 20 seconds longer and invert on to a warm platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once with lemon wedges.