To ask you what to do...

[Treaclesweet]

..with a whole artichoke? Got overexcited visiting a Waitrose and now I have this whole artichoke sat like a hedgehog in the vegetable drawer.

What do I do with it? Bonus points for fancy pants things which don't require black garlic or neck of newt or whatever.

Boil it, serve it with butter?

Whole? For how long? It's big!

Don't boil it. Steam it upside down. You know it's ready when the stem is soft. Serve with garlic butter. Look up how to prepare the artichoke online, it's very easy.

Open out the leaves a little bit, run under water to clean. Trim a few inches from the petals (a bread knife can be useful for this), then trim the stem. Put upside down in a steamer placed over boiling water. Steam for 25-35 mins. It’s done when the knife goes through the stem easily or you can easily tear off a petal. Make sure there’s plenty of water in the pot... I’ve managed to boil mine dry a couple of times.

Then you’re ready to serve. Melt some butter and pour into a bowl. Tear off the petals one by one and dip into the butter. When you get to the very tender leaves you can either eat them or discard them (they don’t have much ‘meat’). Eventually you’ll get to the furry spiky part in the middle. Pull the spikes away or scrape them with a teaspoon. The part underneath is the heart which is delicious and you can also dip in the butter.

Absolutely. Don’t waste an artichoke by doing anything fancy. Boil or steam until the leaves come away easily and then dip the leaves in butter and enjoy the best meal you’ve ever had.

Can you buy artichokes in Waitrose? Ive never seen one in any supermarkets in the UK and love them with a nice bowl of butter

Brilliant thanks everyone! I might be back later when I actually tackle the thing I've made myself quite afraid of it. Is it more of a starter than a side? The eating sounds rather full on, we shall refer to your instructions at the dinner table @CloudsCloudsClouds

You can buy them in Waitrose and often in Sainsburys.

It’s a starter! Not a side. Take your time eating it and enjoy. They’re one of my favourite foods.

Yes whole in Waitrose @onlyfools

Quite excited now!

ohhh i might have to venture to the big Waitrose near me this weekend

I second what everyone everyone else has said. Trim stem, steam until tender, then rip off leaves and dip in butter and then eat the heart when you get to it.
They are delicious. When I lived in France I ate them literally everyday when in season.

When I lived in France I ate them literally everyday when in season.

Me too. With a large glass of wine. And because they take so long to eat, I often wasn’t that bothered about a main course afterwards

How was it @treaclesweet ? I went to Waitrose this evening in search of an artichoke and they had sold out

This is interesting, was it good? May have to buy one...

Yum! I know you've already eaten, OP but next time make sure you have some aioli.