Rhubarb Crumble is a great early-year British pudding. Quick and easy to make, this foolproof recipe makes use of a fantastic vegetable when there is very little fruit to be had. As a result, though the topping is much the same as it always is, the filling is ever so slightly bitter – a marginally different beast from the crumbles of summer and autumn.
This is one of those very rare moments in which I draw rather direct inspiration and part of a recipe from someone else. However, there is no shame to be had in this particular case, since when my mother showed the photo to me I knew at once that a similar result had to be achieved. Of course, the recipe has been altered a little; the original contained no blueberries, was party to an orange instead of a lemon and lacked oats, not to mention the fact that the quantities are a little different. Still, enough was drawn from this particular recipe to warrant a mention – thank you, Mail on Sunday and each and every one of your entrails, most suited to middle aged women.