WE are only a few weeks away from the official start of the British springtime. With the change of the season, we also see the flourishing of local fruits, vegetables and flowers.

So, with the fresh ingredients right on our doorstep - it’s a good idea to think about potential dishes you can make at home that would be perfect to welcome the new season.

Here are three great ideas and where you can source the ingredients.

This dish takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and around one to two hours to cook. You’re going to need:

This is a fairly simple dish. Start by heating the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, and brown the meat, garlic and onion. Add the thyme, carrots and bay leaf. You will need enough water to cover the lamb meat.

Bring the dish to a simmer and remove any scum that rises to the top. Once removed, cover the pan and cook for one and a half to two hours, or until the meat is tender.

Around five minutes before serving, add the beans and peas to the lamb, and cook until they are tender. Remember to season the dish with salt and pepper, and add mint sauce to finish up just before serving.

This perfect spring soup takes around 30 minutes to prepare, but much longer to cook. There are plenty of variations to this dish depending on budget and taste. You’re going to need:

This is another dish that is pretty easy to prepare. Preheat the slow cooker to its lowest setting and boil some water.

Place the chicken thighs and onions in the slow cooker, and add the mustard powder, stock, mustard and bay leaves. Pour over the boiling water and put on the lid. You will need to leave this cook for about five hours.

Add the carrots and pearl barley and stir them in well. Cook these until the carrots and barley are tender. Turn off the slow cooker and remove the chicken and bay leaves (the leaves can be disposed of) and stir in the peas and broad beans. You can then cover the dish back up.

Remove the chicken meat from the bones and stir in with the herbs and lemon juice, remembering to season well with salt and pepper. Serve when you’re ready.

If you don’t have the time to wait all day to eat, then why not something much quicker. This dish takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, and in under ten minutes it can be on your plate. You’re going to need:

Start by melting the butter in a frying pan, then add the salmon skin-side down. Season it well with salt and black pepper, then squeeze a drop of lemon juice. Fry for around three minutes, before flipping the salmon and doing the same again.

Perform a ‘taste test’ for the seasoning, and add more if required. Drop the broccoli into a pan of boiling water for four minutes and then drain. Pile the broccoli onto a plate and rest the pan-fried salmon on top. Complete the dish by garnishing the plate with chopped lemon wedges.

Ideally, you can grow most of the vegetables at home, which are usually sown between March and May. Things like pearl barley seeds can be purchased online and should be fairly easy to germinate.

If not, you can source them locally in shops like Forest Friendly in Lydney, which stocks Wye Valley organic vegetables, butter from Netherend Farm and Chase Farm milk.

Aside from if you don’t have a slow cooker, most spring dishes can be made in most household kitchens.

There are hundreds of recipes available online, you could purchase a cookbook, or even ask your smart speaker (e.g. Alexa) for ideas.