May is rhubarb season, and nothing beats a warm, comforting bowl of fruity crumble on a bank holiday weekend. The combination of rhubarb and raisin works really well- the tartness of the rhubarb is moderated by the sweetness of fat, juicy raisins.

You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb, but just make sure if it’s frozen to drain off some of the liquid before adding the topping, as this will make the topping sink.

Serves 6-8

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Ingredients:

500g frozen or 10 sticks fresh rhubarb, scrubbed and chopped into inch pieces
50g brown sugar (dark brown is best but any sugar will do the job)
1 Glass sweet wine, sherry, or port- can be omitted if you don’t have any
2 Handfuls raisins/ sultanas/ mixed dried fruit
140g flour (can be plain or self-raising)
140g oats (any kind)
75g vegetable margarine (vegan)
50g brown sugar (again, brown is best but white will be fine if necessary)
1tsp ground ginger (or fresh, minced)
1tsp ground cinnamon (or put a cinnamon stick in with the fruit)
1tsp ground nutmeg (not the end of the world if missing)
Flaked or crushed nuts and coconut ice cream/ cream/ yoghurt to serve

Method:

1. Heat a heavy saucepan with the wine and sugar
2. Add rhubarb and raisins
3. Simmer on a very low heat for 15 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft but retains its shape. The mixture will taste rather tart at this stage!
4. In the meantime, measure dry ingredients into a large bowl, and with the fingertips of one hand, rub the mixture together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
5.  When ready to cook, arrange the fruit on the bottom of a large serving dish and spoon the crumble on the top.
6. Bake in a preheated (200C) oven for 30 minutes
7. Garnish with nuts and coconut cream/ ice cream/ yoghurt to serve