For those of us who crave garden-fresh greenery, this broccoli is a hero, by a long way the first fresh green food to show after the long winter. From as early as February, it sprouts thin, green shoots with purple flower heads, from gangly bushes. Stems, heads, leaves, all edible, with an intense, alive, slightly peppery flavour, it needs only the briefest, simplest cooking. Steamed bundles are great with rich food or in a salad, it’s brilliant with pasta and oil, and has more than enough