WHEN you think of Easter treats, you probably think of chocolate eggs, Easter nests and roast lamb.

But in some countries Maundy Thursday is referred to as Green Thursday and celebrated by eating a feast of green herbs and leaves.

Greens are on my mind a lot at the moment, thanks to a bumper offering the stuff from our local supplier Westmill Organics.

Although we are in what is known as the ‘hungry gap’ – a time when the stored winter produce is coming to an end and the newly planted produce is still under the ground waiting for the warmer weather – there are some abundances to be found.

This mostly comes in the form of greens like kale, broccoli and chard.

We’ve had a fantastic selection come in recently but one of my favourite leafy greens is spinach, mainly due to the facts it's so delicious and versatile.

It can be eaten raw in salads or used cooked in nearly any dish from pasta to stir-fry, quiche or soup.

It only need a few minutes cooking, one or two for a stir-fry, eight to ten minutes if roasting.

Another great thing about spinach, as with most leafy greens, is that it’s an absolute powerhouse in terms of nutrition: it is low in calories yet very high in vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.

And although it is a good source of iron, contrary to popular belief, spinach has no more iron in it than other leafy greens.

The common myth likely started due to poor scientific practices when its nutritional content was first being analysed and then furthered when Popeye was seen chugging cans of the stuff to give him super strength.

Despite this, adding a handful of greens to most meals is still a quick and easy way to boost their nutritional value.

I’ll be enjoying some spinach with my Easter breakfast: wilted in a little butter with some wild garlic (which we also have on the van at the moment) it’s delicious and hopefully will go a little way to offsetting all the chocolate I’ll be eating too.