Light and crisp puff pastry covered in creamy goat’s cheese, salty ham and topped with the season`s best Asparagus gently roasted to perfection.

Contributor blog post by David Taylor: The first asparagus has arrived in the markets. Steamed for about 10 minutes, a drizzle of olive oil, shavings of parmesan and then a soft free range boiled egg – perfect for lunch in the spring sunshine. Via:: Accommodation in Provence          

Its asparagus season in France and there is no better way to enjoy this wonderful vegetable than dipped into a soft-centred egg. Just add a little freshly grated parmesan cheese and the combination is perfect.

What could be more delicious than a big messy sandwich at a picnic with friends. This Nicoise Pan Bagnat is packed with layers of flavour that only get better the longer they marinate together. Fresh peppery arugula with tuna, pickles, olives, capers, fennel, tomatoes, anchovies and homemade mayonnaise are perfectly presented on an artisan baked french loaf.

The freshness of the season’s first courgettes married with the saltiness of the parma ham and parmesan cheese, baked to perfection in a fluffy egg delight on a flaky round of puff pastry.

A warm and toasty lavash (sheet flatbread) covered in bold creamy Cambozola cheese and figs with fresh thyme and pine nuts baked to perfection.

A bistro Inspired Sandwich with Chanterelle Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil served in pan de mie toasted bread boxes.

The ingredients are few for this dish – pain de mie (I really think the bread must be pain de mie – and never sour dough; anyone in France want to weigh in?), ham, cheese, béchamel sauce, and mustard. There are (if you look online) hundreds of recipes, each with a slight variation: the cheese in the béchamel or the cheese on top; mustard on both pieces of bread, or just one side; toast the bread, grill the sandwich, bake it, broil it, or a hybrid. Basically, they all work!

Crespeou (pronounced cres-PAY-oo) means crêpe in Provencal is also called Gâteau d’Omelettes. This is a traditional Provencal recipe, which is often found in picnic hampers

kitchen of Marc Heracle in Provence. It is a more traditional dish as it uses typical local products (olives, spinach, olive oil). This is a simple dish to make. You can serve as a starter or as a main with a big salad.