Jul 10
Abbots GreenEating and Drinking Food, Yorkshire Rhubarb
You’re going to need -
500g Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb
1 Onion
100ml cider vinegar
1cm piece of fresh ginger
200g white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1. Chop the rhubarb into bite size chunks – you can get creative with this, chunky can look good but so can small – however you like your chutney!
2. Place the onion, ginger, salt and sugar into a large non-aluminium pan. Bring it to the boil and keep it boiling for around 5 minutes.
3. Add the rhubarb and bring the heat down to a simmer. Keep it there for around 15 minutes and you’ll start to notice the mixture thickening.
4. If you plan to keep the chutney now is the time to put it into a sterilised jar. Pop the top on and allow to cool in the kitchen before storing in the fridge.
5. If the chutney is to dress a meal today then allow it to cool in the kitchen until just warm to the touch. This will work as a wonderful accompaniment to smoked fish when served with a strong peppery side salad! Enjoy!
Jul 04
Abbots GreenEating and Drinking Food, Yorkshire Recipes, Yorkshire Rhubarb
You’ll require -
10 sticks of rhubarb
190g/6.5ozs flour
110g/4ozs demerara sugar
110g/4ozs softened butter
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
4 tablespoons water
8 tablespoons of caster sugar
1. Fire the oven up to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4
2. Chop the rhubarb in sticks that are roughly 5cms / 2ins long and put them in an ovenproof tray. Sprinkle the water on and roast in the preheated oven for roughly 10 minutes.
3. After the 10 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the ginger. Give it all a good mix around.
4. Transfer this rhubarb mix into an ovenproof dish that is around 4cms deep.
5. Using a rubbing technique mix the butter, flour and sugar to make the crumble topping. When this is a suitable consistency toss over the top of the rhubarb and bake for around 30 minutes. You may wish to bake a little longer for a crunchier crumble. Prod with a knife to ensure the mix is hot all the way through before removing from the oven. The rhubarb should be bubbling gently and the crumble should have a nice golden brown appearance.
6. Allow to cool before adding your favourite from the following list – Ice cream, double cream, single cream or all of the above!
Jul 03
Abbots GreenEating and Drinking Food, Fun, Yorkshire Rhubarb
You’ll need -
1 pie case
6 Bramley apples – peeled, cored and chopped
3 Sticks of Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb
2 teaspoons of powdered cinnamon
4 Tablespoons of water
8 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 Egg yolk
1. Get the oven nice and hot, around 220C / 440F should do the trick.
2. Chop the Rhubarb into 3cm/1in long pieces and place in baking tray. Chop the apples into 1cm/1/2in cubes and place in the same tray. Roast for 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove the fruit from the oven and mix the sugar and cinnamon evenly through the rhubarb and apples.
4. Place the fruit mix into the pie case and and place the top on. Ensure you make some holes to release the pressure – otherwise things will get messy when you bake!
5. Using a pastry brush, apply the egg yolk to the top of the pie, this will ensure a nice brown finish.
6. Bake the pie for around 45 mins or until the pie is golden brown. Remove from oven for 10 minutes – it’ll be hot!
7. Add a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream or custard and enjoy!
Jul 01
Abbots GreenEating and Drinking Yorkshire Rhubarb
Around 90% of the worlds ‘forced’ winter rhubarb comes from a small area in Yorkshire. That area is lovingly known as the ‘rhubarb triangle’ whose points lay at the the city of Wakefield and the towns of Morley and Rothwell. Within this nine square miles lay the smaller villages of East Ardsley, Stanley, Lofthouse and Carlton.
Traveling though these areas you’ll see dozens of ‘forcing sheds’ in which the rhubarb is grown out of season. ‘Forced Rhubarb’ is often a brighter red colour than outdoor cultivated plants and is often sweeter with a more tender texture. The rhubarb is ‘forced’ by raising the temperature local to the plant – this is often done by covering the shoots as they comes through the soil, the rhubarb thrives in this spring/summer temperature and grows as such.
Rhubarb is native to Siberia and therefore enjoys the cold Yorkshire winters! The type of rhubarb produced in Yorkshire carries the name ‘Forced Yorkshire Rhubarb’ and, in the same was Champagne may only be branded as such if it is produced in the Champagne region – Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb was, in February 2010 awarded Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Commission’s protected Food Name Scheme.
The ‘forcing’ of Rhubarb is a time consuming and delicate process. Firstly, the rhubarb plants are grown outside and not touched for roughly two years. This gives the plants strong roots and the energy they hold within them bolsters these growth when they are moved indoors. This transfer is done in deep winter, normally November, where the farmers can ensure the plants have been subjected to a frost before they are plunged into the darkness of the sheds. As the temperature rises the plants begin to grow – however, the rhubarb grows and is tended to by candlelight, anything more would halt the growing process. Traditionally the coal mining heritage of the rhubarb triangle meant coal was the cheapest way to heat the sheds, however, with the decline of the mining in the area, diesel is now preferred.
Between the late 1800s and around 1940 an express train stopped at Ardsley railway station every day of the ‘forcing’ season. This express locomotive was specifically designated to carry rhubarb down to the south of England and over the channel to France. The food markets of London and Paris could sell however much of the sweet produce was shipped to them and the industry had thousands of farmers and farm hands ensuring the train ran at full capacity everyday. At it’s peak, 200 tons of rhubarb followed the tracks to the capital and beyond everyday!
Although the market today is not quite so demanding the triangle lives on. Although at it’s peak the area had expanded from the 9 miles mentioned to a huge 30 mile area, it now rests comfortably back with the original Wakefield-Rothwell-Morley triangle. Wakefields council has rhubarb festival every February and die-hard fans of the plant can come and see chefs muster up some of the finest recipes – after they’ve had the pleasure of touring the forcing fields. You’ll see Wakefield councils lasting acknowledgement of the triangle in Holmfield Park where they erected a sculpture depicting the humble rhubarb plant in 2005.
For somewhere to stay on your trip to Yorkshire check out our Lodges for sale in North Yorkshire
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