Scallops, leeks and sorrel sauce

Scallops, bacon, buttered leeks and lip-puckering sorrel sauce. A fancy-pants little recipe for when you're feeling a bit cheffy and the only thing in the patch is sorrel.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Of the many lessons the veg patch has drummed into me, this is the one it likes to remind me of with renewed persistence in March. Because, as I look out on the raised beds from the kitchen window searching for culinary inspiration, I see…

Nothing.

There is nothing to eat. Not unless you count the sorrel, which has just starting shooting and will, within weeks, become a stocky thug I can only keep in check by hacking at its roots with a bread knife.

But for now, the new growth is delicate and tender. Quite appealing now I think about it. Sorrel leaves have a fresh, citrus flavour almost like sherbet. They are face-puckeringly sour (in a good way) and do at least offer a bright and novel flavour in the spring kitchen.

So fine, we will have to count the sorrel.

Actually, I quite fancy the sorrel now. I’m planning a meal for a family birthday and I want something showy to begin. I remember recently eating scallops with malt vinegar at The Devonshire which, despite all the needless hype around the place, was rather good and I wonder if I can recreate that unexpectedly good combination of sharp acid and sweet scallop with my sorrel?

I order British, hand-dived scallops from Pipers Farm (it’s not all free-range pigs and artisanal cheese there these days, but I do pick up some lardons too) and set about making a showy little starter to kick off the celebrations and give my sorrel 15-minutes of fame.

Scallops, leeks, bacon & sorrel

This is one for when you’re feeling a bit showy. But a fancy-pants dish needn’t mean faff for the cook. In fact, if you start with excellent and interesting ingredients, there’s really very little to do besides put them on a plate. This means the best quality scallops money can buy and fresh, baby sorrel leaves.

Serves 4 as a starter

• 25g baby sorrel leaves

• 50ml extra virgin olive oil

• 125g unsmoked back bacon lardons