Boil whole in salted water with some lemon juice, then serve with melted butter, mayonnaise or vinaigrette - eat leaf by leaf to draw out the tasty flesh. Alternatively, roast the hearts and serve with potatoes or braise them and eat with broad beans and mint. You can preserve the hearts in jars of olive oil to keep for the rest of the year since the season is short.
Store in the bottom of the fridge for up to one week. If you see white spots, these are calcium spots and they are perfectly safe to eat and the flavour is not affected.
