One of the highlights at this time of year is the abundance of bright pink, slender stems of “forced” rhubarb from Yorkshire. This type of rhubarb is grown out of season in dark sheds and is prized more highly than the outdoor variety. Perhaps one of the easiest and quickest ways to enjoy it is roasted with vanilla and sugar and served simply with clotted cream, yoghurt or custard.

Rhubarb releases a lot of moisture of its own during cooking that will turn deliciously syrupy with sugar, so a splash of water or a squeeze of lemon juice is enough to get it going. The fruit will break down into a pulp if cooked for long enough, so if you want the pieces to hold their shape, as for the rhubarb and ginger fool millefeuille recipe below, keep a close eye on it after 15 minutes.

But don’t think rhubarb has to be limited to puddings. Until the late Forties it was actually classified as a vegetable, and there are many ways I like to use it in savoury dishes. One is to sauté chopped rhubarb in a little butter with salt and sugar, and then cook it in stock until it turns to a purée. Mix this with vinaigrette and you have an unusual dressing for oily fish.

Another way is to sauté it with butter until it softens, then deglaze the pan with grenadine syrup to serve as a relish with venison, duck or pan-fried liver. For further inspiration, try it poached in an aromatic sugar syrup, served alongside pan-roasted scallops.

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