My go to rhubarb crumble recipe!

March in the UK means that spring has arrived and what that means is that rhubarb is available! Rhubarb season in the UK usually kicks off in late February and runs through to about June, with the peak often being around March to May!

There are a lot of classic desserts that I love, like sticky toffee pudding, trifle, jam roly-poly but there’s something about rhubarb crumble that makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest, especially at this time of year! This isn’t just any dessert, it’s the kind that makes your kitchen smell like happiness and even the most reluctant pudding lovers come back for seconds. Tart, sweet, buttery and just a touch rustic, rhubarb crumble is without a doubt, one of the best ways to welcome spring into your life and it’s surprisingly easy to make even if you’re not usually a whizz in the kitchen. Did you know that rhubarb is packed with vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants? so you can convince yourself that you are having a treat but you’re also doing something good for your body.

You can serve it straight from the oven with a dollop of custard or with cream or ice cream. Some people even like it slightly warm with a drizzle of golden syrup and for those of us who like to get a little creative, you can mix rhubarb with other fruits like strawberries, which are the obvious choice but oranges, apples and even blackberries work beautifully too.

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

Serves: 4 to 6 people.

Prep time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes,

Ingredients!

For the filling:

500g of rhubarb,

100g of caster sugar (adjust depending on how tart your rhubarb is).

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional).

1 tbsp plain flour (helps thicken the juice).

For the crumble topping:

100g of plain flour.

75g of unsalted butter, cold and cubed.

75g of light brown sugar (or granulated sugar if you prefer).

50g of oats (optional, for extra crunch).

A pinch of salt.

Instructions!

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4.

Prepare the rhubarb:

Start by washing your rhubarb and chopping it into chunks, about 2 to 3cm pieces. Not tiny bits because they’ll turn to mush but not massive sticks either. You want them to soften but still hold their shape.

Pop the rhubarb into a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar. The sugar isn’t just for sweetness, rhubarb is sharp and the sugar also draws out the juices while it bakes, which helps create that lovely syrupy bottom layer.

Add the teaspoon of vanilla if you’re using it. It just rounds out the flavour and takes the edge off the tartness a bit. It's not essential but I always add it if I have it.

Now sprinkle over the tablespoon of plain flour and give everything a good mix. This is important because rhubarb releases loads of juice when it cooks. The flour thickens those juices so you don’t end up with rhubarb soup under your crumble.

Make the crumble topping:

Put the flour into a bowl and add the cold. Cold is important here. If the butter is soft, you won’t get that crumbly texture and it will go pasty. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Keep going until it looks like breadcrumbs. Don’t panic if there are a few slightly bigger lumps; those turn into the best crunchy bits on top.

Stir in the light brown sugar. I like brown sugar because it gives a slight caramel flavour and a deeper colour on top but granulated works fine too. Add the pinch of salt. It sounds tiny but it balances the sweetness and makes everything taste better.

If you’re using oats, stir them in now. They add texture and a bit of chew.

Assemble:

Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the rhubarb. Don’t press it down! Just let it sit loosely on top. If you press it, it goes dense instead of crumbly.

Bake:

Pop it in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. You’re looking for bubbling fruit around the edges and a golden brown top. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes.

When it comes out, it will be molten underneath, so let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. This helps the filling thicken up a bit more too.

Serve it with custard, cream or ice cream but it is delicious on its own too!

Do you like rhubarb crumble?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #48

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. It's officially spring in the northern hemisphere. Does it feel like spring in your part of the world? If you're in the southern hemisphere it's officially autumn where you live. Does the weather say autumn? Which do you prefer-spring or autumn? Why?

It does feel like spring here now here in England. Not all the time, of course, the morning's and evenings are still chilly but it has been warming up during the day. I know it's spring because Ellie has started wearing shorts and has asked for a new pair of sandals. The lighter nights are slowly happening, which I love and it feels nicer being outside again without having to wear layers and a thick coat. Daffodils are popping up everywhere, people are out cutting their grass, the birds are singing more and the only thing that is missing is the ice cream man coming around in his van. He must be due any day now!

I definitely prefer spring. Spring feels like a fresh start after the winter. Autumn is nice, I do like the cosiness of it but it always feels like the fun days of summer are ending. Once summer is over, the colder, darker days of winter are on their way. Spring is the opposite of that, with everything starting again and we have warmer days and summer to look forward to too.

2. What's your favorite thing about spring?

I think my favourite thing about spring has to be gardening! Seeing the garden waking up again after the winter is special. I love planting seeds and I get a bit too excited about it. I'm no expert, I just hope for the best. I like starting from scratch with the tiny seeds, a bit of compost, water and then waiting. I'm not a patient person when it comes to my seeds and I check on them several times a day as like they’re going to grow quicker just because I’m staring at them. lol When the green shoots come through, I feel like I have achieved something massive.

3. Spring into action, spring in your step, spring to life, spring to one's feet...which spring idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.

I’d say spring in my step fits me right now. I always say I’m not affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder and that winter doesn’t really bother me but then spring happens and I realise I was bothered. I feel like I have a spring in my step now. I seem to wake up before my alarm clock with more energy, I have more motivation to get things done instead of putting them off and even the boring jobs don't feel that boring when the sun is shining! It’s like I’ve got a bit of a bounce back without really trying.

4. Which spring food from this list is your favorite? What's a dish you like that includes your favorite spring ingredient?

asparagus, strawberries, salad greens like mesclun, artichokes, spinach, eggs, peas, spring onions.

It has to be strawberries! They’re my favourite fruit but they’re just not that great here until later in the year. I bought some a few weeks ago thinking I’d treat myself and they were such a disappointment. They were so small and not very sweet. I do seem to eat more eggs this time of year as well. It’s always hard-boiled eggs, chopped up and mixed with salad cream. It's nothing fancy but it tastes so good in a sandwich. Here in England my favourite spring foods are rhubarb, new potatoes and lamb!

5. What's one task on your spring cleaning list? Do you actually have a list?

I feel like I’ve already done my spring cleaning without even meaning to. After all the DIY, painting and decluttering over the last few months, there’s nothing much left to do apart from jobs around the garden. I don’t have a list apart from having to wash the garden furniture and get my little greenhouses out of storage. I think I would have needed a list if all the work hadn't been done. It's quite nice not having that hanging over me.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Easter really feels like it’s snuck up on me, it is less than two weeks away! Last year, Easter wasn’t until the middle of April, so this year has caught me a bit off guard. I’ll definitely need to get some Easter eggs for the girls, even though I keep telling myself they’re too old for them now. Who am I kidding? I want an Easter Egg too. lol Chocolate always tastes better in an egg shape. Ellie’s got a couple of weeks off college at the start of April and my fella has said he’s planning to take a few days off work too, so it’s looking like I'm going to have to plan a proper family day out. I have no idea where yet? I’ll need to start thinking of somewhere that everyone will enjoy. Eek!

Why I’m useless at giving advice but still love soaking it up!

I always feel guilty asking people for advice. I really appreciate it when it is given to me but I think it's because I am not the best at giving it myself. It’s an odd contradiction! You’d think that someone who loves listening to advice would have picked up a knack for giving it back but no! This isn't a blog post asking for any advice or anything like that, all is good here. It was just one of those things I was laid in bed thinking about and thought I would write about it.

I think part of the reason I’m terrible at giving advice is that I know how complicated life can be. Everyone’s problems and worries are different and no one else fully understands but the person living it. I want to be that person who offers the right words at the right moment, the wise friend whose pearls of wisdom sparkle but the truth is when someone asks me what they should do my thoughts go into overdrive. What if I suggest something and they do it and it somehow ruins their day/life/relationship? By the time I’ve thought through all the possible outcomes, the conversation has usually moved on.

Even though I’m rubbish at advice giving, I love getting advice from others. Sometimes I don’t even want advice that’s practical or logical, I just want to hear another perspective, a different way of thinking about whatever mess I’m in or things that I am fretting over. There’s something good about sharing your struggles and hearing that someone else has been there too or that they see a sliver of light where you only see darkness. When I get advice, it’s not always about finding the right answer but about feeling supported. I think part of why I love hearing advice is the variety of it all. Everyone’s experiences and perspectives are different so even if ten people give you advice on the same problem you’ll probably hear ten different takes on it and somewhere in all of that might be the piece of wisdom that clicks perfectly for you.

Why is it so hard for me to give good advice? I know all too well that what worked for me won’t necessarily work for someone else. Advice isn’t a one-size fits all kind of thing but that said, I’m working on getting a little better at giving advice or at least being more comfortable offering it when asked. I’ve realised that people often aren’t expecting you to have all the answers sometimes, they just want a different perspective, a bit of encouragement or even just a listening ear.

If you ever find me stumbling over my words when you ask for advice sometimes I just can't find the words but I am trying and I do care! Are you good at offering advice or do you second guess yourself like me?

Our weekly meal plan! 23rd - 29th March!! #MealPlanningMonday

How was your weekend? Ours was a good one. I spent some time out in the garden giving it a tidy, cleaned the house and watched The Dinosaurs documentary off Netflix which was so interesting and that's about it. It doesn't sound too exciting but to me, it was the perfect weekend. Jobs got done, I felt productive and had plenty of time to relax.

Last week's meal plan went pretty well and we ate almost everything on the day I had planned. I like it when I have a good run of our meal plan going to plan. The Sage & Onion Pork Stuffing Yorkshire Pudding Wrap was my family's favourite meal of the week. It was amazing but it was a bit of a faff to make, getting all the timings right and cooking the Yorkshire pudding twice as my biggest tray wasn't big enough. You can see a photo on my Project 365 blog post. Ellie wasn't too happy as it was her evening to wash the dishes and there was a lot. The only thing we didn't eat was the chippy tea on Friday. Becky was at work and Stu didn't fancy anything after a big lunch, so Ellie and I ordered a McDonald's. What a treat!

This week Becky chose the Gousto meals and we all agreed that they are good ones. I was quite surprised she picked the rice dish as she isn't a massive fan of rice but like she has said, the older she gets, the more her taste is changing. A few months ago, she would never eat eggs apart from scrambled but now she can't get enough of them. I know there were a lot of things I wouldn't eat 20 years ago that I love now, like parsnips, cabbage and peanut butter!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto meal - Oven Baked Pork Belly & Winter Veg Pot Roast!

This is proper comfort food. It says to cook it in a pan but I ignore that and throw everything into the slow cooker because I like to make life easier where I can. Pork belly, carrots and parsnips in a herby gravy, served with roast potatoes. Ellie usually turns her nose up at anything that comes out of the slow cooker but this is the one exception. She actually asks for it at least once a month, which says a lot.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Swedish-Style Pork Meatballs With Mash And Peas!

We have had this before but it's a good one. A classic dish made with juicy pork meatballs served over creamy mashed potatoes with homemade gravy. There are peas on the side finished with dill and cranberries!

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Cheeseburger' Rice Bake With Saucy Relish!

The cheeseburger and rice together sounded odd but I am looking forward to trying this. It is an oven baked and made with seasoned mince, onions and rice which are cooked together then topped with cheese. It’s finished off with a drizzle of burger sauce and a spoonful of tomato relish.

Thursday - A Chippy tea!

We're swapping our usual Friday tea to Thursday because it is just easier that way this week. I have a busy day planned on Thursday and it will be easier to get something delivered than me cooking!

Friday - A help ourselves evening.

Stu and I are home alone, so we will probably just make something quick and simple like an omelette or a toastie.

Saturday - Gousto meal - Peanut Satay Chicken Burger With Sesame Chips And Lime Slaw!

This sounds so fancy. A fusion-style dish featuring pan-fried chicken coated in a rich, creamy peanut satay sauce, served on a soft brioche bun. It’s topped with zesty lime slaw for a bit of crunch and comes with crispy sesame chips on the side. To me, it's just a satay chicken burger with chips and a bit of salad. lol

Sunday - A roast dinner!

I don't know what meat we're having yet but I fancy cooking a roast dinner with all the trimmings. Mashed potato, roast parsnips, carrots, peas, cabbage, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and gravy!

What are you eating this week?