I'm delighted to report that the artichokes were so good even the dark green parts (which I scraped into with my teeth) were delicious - no bitterness at all. They just got better and better as we progressed.

The steaming method (the water bubbled around the stalks and the artichoke bulb sat entirely above the water line) meant that the base was perfectly cooked. We left the choke in and scraped it away once we finished the leaves - seemed straightforward enough. Thanks also for that tip!

I love the way artichoke leaves make your saliva taste change, 'sweetens' it in a similar way to how licorice does.

We ate them with a home-made hollandais sauce (flavoured with a little lemon).

I just prepared kohlrabi for the first time too...