Buttered Spinach

Spinach, originally from Persia, didn’t reach Britain until the fourteenth century, and was one of the first vegetables to be ‘cooked by itself’, rather than being boiled in a pottage. It was braised simply and served with a little oil and spices or sugar sprinkled on top as a cooked salad.

Fresh spinach is one of my favourite vegetables. Cooked with a knob of butter and plenty of seasoning and eaten straight from the pan – you just can’t beat it. However, it’s also a vegetable that