Nigel Slater’s recipes for lemon and spinach linguine, and wild garlic cheese pudding

A plate of lemon-scented linguine always feels like a nod to spring, the lemon juice and zest bringing vitality to the simplest imaginable pasta supper.

spinach 100g, stalks removed if thick lemon 1large linguine 250g garlic 1 large clove butter 50g olive oil 2 tbsp parmesan 40g, grated

Wash the spinach leaves, then while they are still wet put them in a shallow pan over a moderately high heat, cover tightly with a lid and cook in its own steam for 3 or 4 minutes.

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Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan, add the bay leaves, scrunching them in your palm as you go to release their essential oils, and the peppercorns.

When the sauce has cooled for 5 minutes or so, mix in the egg yolks with a wooden spoon, followed by the grated mature cheese and the chopped garlic leaves.