Asparagus Mimosa

When I was a young chef-for-hire running round London cooking for posh peoples’ dinner parties, I had a grumpy old customer, a city gent, who always had this for his starter. Over the years I managed to persuade him to risk using the mimosa dressing and herby topping with braised fennel, with roasted cauliflower, with raw sliced tomatoes and even with cold poached fish. It’s the most versatile and delicious of dressings.