I know what your thinking, will this mad bohemian woman stop writing about rhubarb. Well, there is a reason to my madness and it’s very simple. I am trying to make a major effort in trying to appreciate and cook what is in season. This is for two main reasons, firstly  food tends to be fresher and therefore healthier and secondly I want to get back to being thrilled by each seasons offerings. So excuse me if I have gone a little overboard with my love of rhubarb, but I think whether you enjoy eating a fruit/vegetable, very much depends on how its been cooked, I’m trying to give you the very best chance to fall in love with rhubarb this year!

This recipe was very kindly given to me by a lovely lady called Lucy who I met on a retreat a few weeks ago in Scotland. We shared a room and yes, you’ve guessed It, I was droning on about rhubarb and I think she decided to shut me up by offering me her mums lovely recipe. I am grateful Lucy, its delicious, Thank-you x

So please give it a try before rhubarb disappears for another year.

What  you will need

2 ½ lb skinned and chopped rhubarb

2 ½ lb granulated sugar

1 inch fresh ginger peeled and bruised but left in a lump and tied up in a muslin bag

2 lemons

4oz chopped stem ginger

 How to make your conserve

1.       Previous night layer sugar, rhubarb and juice of the lemons in a shallow dish and leave overnight

2.       Place rhubarb mix in jam pan with bruised ginger in muslin bag

3.       Boil briskly for 15 mins

4.       Add stem ginger and boil for 5 mins until set (by eye or jam thermometer)

5.       Remove ginger bag and pot up in clean sterilised jars.

6.       Eat generously on toast on top of yogurt or whatever takes your fancy!

I have been making tea loaf for years. It’s very popular especially when you tell people it’s fat free, but like all things that are good for you they are enhanced by a bit of naughtyness, in this case it’s a good lashing of butter on each slice! Jamie Oliver bless him, has tweaked this all time favourite by making it with Earl Grey and topping it with a lemon and earl grey syrup which takes it to another level. I tested this recipe out this weekend, the cake tin is empty!

What you will need for the cake

4 Earl Grey tea bags

400g dried fruit such as raisins, sultanas, cherries, cranberries

I orange

1 Large free-range egg

200g golden caster sugar

400g self-raising flour

1 level teaspoon mixed spice

Whole nutmeg for grating

How to make your Tea Loaf

1. Place four Earl Grey tea bags in a jug and pour over 300ml of boiling water. Leave to brew for five minutes, remove tea bags.
2. Place the mixed fruit into a large mixing bowl, grate over the zest of the orange and pour over the hot tea. Give it a good stir, then cover with cling film and leave for a few hours or overnight if possible – so that the fruit soaks up all the tea.
3. When the fruit is ready, preheat the oven to 180°c/350°f/gas4. Line and grease a 1 litre loaf tin.
4. Beat the eggs and add to the fruit mixture. Next add the sugar, flour, mixed spice and grate in some nutmeg and finally squeeze in the juice of the orange, mix well it should turn into a dryish doughy consistency.
5. Bake for approx 1 hour and 10mins, or until cooked through. To test, poke a skewer into the middle of the cake, it should come out clean. While the cake is cooking, you can make the syrup.

You will need for the syrup

1 lemon zest and juice

100g caster sugar

200ml water

How to make the syrup

1. Place the 2 tea bags in a pan with the water and juice and zest of the lemon. Gently bring to the boil, removing the tea bags after a couple of minutes.
2. Add the the caster sugar and bring back to the boil without stirring, keep it on a medium heat so that you have a steady boil fora round 5-10minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by half and you have a golden syrup.
3. Once the cake is out of the oven, prick the cake all over with a cocktail stick or skewer and then brush the syrup all over the top of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin.
4. Once completely cool, slice and serve with butter and a good cuppa. Jamie suggests serving with Wensleydale cheese and a glass of sherry as a after dinner treat, nice one Grommit!

Rachel Lane, I am grateful to you that you introduced me to these amazing muffins. I remember making a tray of these early one morning to take to a friend. I drove with them on the passenger seat still warm whilst taking Maisie to school, I kept meeting people I knew along the narrow country lanes and by the time we arrived, there weren’t many left! Those muffins put smiles on faces that morning.This muffin recipe is definately worth getting out of bed a bit earlier this weekend, whacking some in the oven, brewing up some coffee and making the world a better place to breakfast in 🙂

What you will need

250g soft brown sugar

80ml vegetable oil

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

250ml buttermilk

175g rhubarb, cut into 1 cm lengths

75g pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped

300g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

50g wheat germ

For the topping

2 tablespoons Demerara sugar mixed with 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon

How to make your muffins

Preheat the oven to 200°c/Gas Mark 6

1. Cut out roughly 12x 12cm squares of parchment paper and push and mould each one down into a 12 whole muffin tray.They will sit on the surface for now but when you put the mixture in they will sink down to form a kind of paper-tulip liner? The muffins wil look rustic and gives you a ready plate when your devouring one of your creations!
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, oil, egg, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Stir in the chopped rhubarb and nuts. Sprinkle over the flour, baking poder and bicarbonate and add the wheat germ. Fold together quickly until just blended but still rather lumpy.
3. Spoon into the lined muffin cases and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, by which time the sugar topping will be glistening and the muffins beneath apple but definite gold.
5. Eat warm . When you’ve had your fill, jump in the car with the rest and make somebody’s day.

My Dad has always kept an amazing garden and has supplied the family with fresh, seasonal vegetables for as long as I can remember. This week he delivered the first of the seasons rhubarb, beautiful pink stems wrapped up in big rhubarb leaves and tied with old gardening string, a work of art! The local veg stalls now have rhubarb for sale if you don’t grow your own, alternatively the supermarkets are selling rhubarb and the first seasons British strawberries. I am always keen on making recipes as simple as I can, whilst still producing the very best taste, I think you will like the change of using honey instead of sugar. I cooked this revised recipe last night and the diners loved it.

You will need

500g (1lb) Rhubarb 300g

250g (10ozs) strawberries

Juice of one orange

3 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon plain flour

for the crumble topping

150g ( 5ozs) plain flour

150g (5ozs) porridge oats

150g (5ozs) sugar

150g (5ozs) butter

50g (2ozs) ground almonds

50g (2ozs) white chocolate chips or buttons

How to make your Rhubarb Crumble

Preheat oven to 180°c/Gas Mark 4

1. Trim the rhubarb and cut into 2cm lengths. Place the rhubarb in a oven proof dish and drizzle with the honey and pour over the orange juice. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
2. In a bowl mix in the flour, oats, almonds and sugar together. Using your finger tips rub the soft butter into the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the white chocolate and mix well.
3. Take the Rhubarb out of the oven and add the strawberries sprinkle over the tablespoon of flour and mix very gently (the flour will help to thicken the juices and prevent the crumble from being to liquid).
4. Sprinkle the crumble on top and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
5. Serve with clotted cream, sit back and devour.

I can still remember being about 5yrs old, watching my Mum listen to the ‘Jimmy Young’ radio show and jotting down the recipe of the day. I  thought my Mum was pretty cool doing this, even though I had to stay quiet during the broadcast! I still cook  those recipes and this particular dish is a family favourite. I hope your families love it too.

You will need

500g (I lb) minced beef

1 large onion

1 medium tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablspoons of long grain rice

1 green pepper

1 tablespoon Worcester sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

salt and pepper to taste

To make your Texas Hash

Pre-heat oven to approx  325°f / 170°c / Gas 4

1. Chop the onion and fry in a little oil until golden, add mince and stir well to break up. Add salt, pepper and sugar.
2. De-seed and thinly slice the green pepper and add to the meat mixture. Empty the tin of tomatoes into the pan, along with the Worcester sauce and the rice. Stir well and cook for a few minutes until  some of the liquid reduces slightly.
3. Tip into a greased ovenproof dish and cook in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.
4. Serve with creamed potatoes.

I made a batch of these during my stay in Australia. I didn’t have my usual recipe with me so I found this Aussie one and according to the testers they were amazing!

You will need

1/3 cup plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

250g (8ozs) good quality dark chocolate

250g (8ozs) butter

2 tsp vanilla essence

4 lightly beaten eggs

A  lined and greased 20cm (8″) square shallow  tin

How to make your Brownies

1. Set oven to fan160C/conventional 180C/gas 4.
2.  Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl add the sugar and nuts and mix well.
3. Chop the chocolate into chunks and add to the dry ingredients.
4. Melt the butter in a pan and add to all the dry ingredients, along with the vanilla essence and the beaten eggs. Mix well.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and cook for approx 20-25 mins, so the brownies are still soft in the middle but not to the point of being wobbly if you slighty shake the tin, it should  just look slightly underdone.The top should have a shiny papery crust and the sides just coming away from the edge. Cooking time is the key to a good soft chewy brownie, so my advice would be to always slightly undercook than over cook.
6. Leave to cool in tin and  then cut into squares. Store in an airtight tin and hide!