Georgie Mullen’s elegant vegetarian spring menu

As the days grow longer and the weather warms, spring offers a bounty of fresh ingredients perfect for celebrating the season’s renewal. Food writer Georgie Mullen’s spring menu is an elevated tribute to these early harvests, weaving together bright flavours and inventive pairings that capture the essence of spring. For more recipe ideas, check out our March guide on the best seasonal ingredients or explore our other meal plans, including Nisha Parmar’s vibrant sharing menu.

Starter

Purple sprouting broccoli tempura with wild garlic aïoli

Purple sprouting broccoli always feels like a small seasonal celebration, the first signs of green after months of root veg and stews. This recipe works beautifully as a starter or as a snack with a cocktail. It's a little plate of green magic.

Drinks

Rhubarb and elderflower spritz

Forced rhubarb is in season between January and March, and is known for its slender stalks and vibrant pink colour. After March, you'll find outdoor-grown rhubarb, which is available until summer – slightly less vibrant and a little less sweet. For its lively pink colour, I like using forced rhubarb in this cocktail but if you can only find outdoor-grown rhubarb, a small splash of red food colouring in the syrup will help boost the colour. Don't throw the rhubarb purée left in the sieve away – I eat it with yogurt and granola in the morning.

Main

New potato, raclette and spring onion galette

I love making pastry – rubbing the flour and butter between my fingertips might be the most therapeutic job in the kitchen. If you are new to pastry, a galette is a good place to start – they are supposed to look rustic.

Dessert

White chocolate mousse with poached rhubarb

White chocolate and rhubarb are a gorgeous match. The mousse is silky and sweet, balanced by the tart poached rhubarb. You can prepare both the mousse and the poached rhubarb up to three days in advance, making this a perfect pud for hosting.