Rhubarb - First crop of the Year

Jamie checked the rhubarb that he had been forcing, and decided to pick it. "Forcing" is achieved by putting a cover over the plant, which keeps light out. This convinces the plant that it is still underground, so it doesn't make chlorophyll - which results in the characteristic blanched pink colour and delicate texture. But only once a year. Forcing puts a strain on the plant, so each one can only be cropped once a year. Knowing this just makes the whole experience even more exciting.

Fresh pink stalks from the allotment

Jamie makes a lot of recipes, but the best one has to be rhubarb creme brulee, below:

The best creme brulee in the world

There is nothing quite like the taste of forced rhubarb in early spring, and it goes really well with the creamy, custardy taste of creme brulee.

I will try to get him to put the recipe in later on.

And look what we found on the new allotment! So there should be many more where that came from.

Imagine how thrilled Jamie was to uncover this?