Last autumn I planted a small artichoke plant - not the right time really to do so -  but I was so intrigued by the thought of growing my own that I couldn’t wait for spring. So I looked well after my artichoke all winter, protected it with a big plastic bin from rain and snow (they like it dry) and every so often, when there was a dry spell, I aired and "sunbathed" my precious artichoke.

My reward was an amazingly strong and beautiful plant already in early spring and the artichokes were ready to be harvested in June! I left one artichoke on the plant, as I needed some eye-candy in my garden!

This is a very simple recipe, it only entails boiling the artichokes in some lemon infused, lightly salted water, that’s it. The “work” and fun lies in eating this beautiful thing, by pulling out the individual leaves, dipping the fleshy end into a garlic Mayo or a mix of olive oil with flaky salt. Then place the leave into your mouth scraping of the yummy soft parts of the leave with your teeth. Remove all leaves until you reach the best part, the heart. But before you can enjoy this amazing tasting bit, you have to scrape out the fuzzy part in the middle (the choke) for which you can use a spoon or a dull knife.

Ingredients: (4 as a starter)

2 lemons, halved

1 tsp Salt

4 large globe artichokes 

Method:

1. Fill two large sauce-pans with enough water to come halfway up the sides. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon, add the lemon skins and ½ teaspoon of salt to each saucepan. 

2. Cut off the stems from the artichokes then add the artichokes to the water, stem side up. Use a lid smaller than the pan to weigh down the artichokes and keep them submerged. 

3. Bring to a simmer and cook for approx. 35min - 1 hour, until  the leaves peel off quite easily. 

4. Remove the artichokes from the water and set them tips facing down to drain the water. Let them sit for about 3-4 mins. Put on a serving platter and serve!