The Willling Rhubarb

An affable guest in the summer garden, her crimson red stalks spear from the ground like a triumphant gladiator, beckoning morning glory in the form of the most majestic breakfast muffins. Sweet floating smells in the morning make for a most pleasant waking call, and these muffins will have you hankering for breakfast rather than sleeping in.

Summer breakfasts welcome lightness and freshness to our days, these muffins certainly do. Some flavours call for questions about roots, rhubarb renders us senseless. Who’d know it’s originally from China? To those in the rhubarb know, AKA Da-Huang. I’m a great believer in respecting the mystery of flavours, though I do like to know that what I’m eating is good for me, as I’m sure you do too.

Without over egging the muffins, baked rhubarb is reportedly anti-cancerous, as it contains polyphenols, it has been hinted that these may fight the growth of cancer cells. Spear shaped for a reason perhaps?

Growing up with Groucho Marx, a favourite of my Dads, made for happy times. He had a good take on life, “Well, art is art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh, you tell me what you know.”

The key to eating well, feeling well and being well is beautiful balance. Feeling hungry isn’t the same as being hungry, confusing? Next time you crave something, eat something healthy. Our bodies, when treated well are totally magnificent, if rhubarb is medicinal, great, if these muffins are to your liking better still! If something is both these things, AMAZING! Enjoy and share with people you love. Healthy food makes for fuller experiences, our fuel is quintessential to quality of life.

Wishing you a very Happy monday!

RHUBARB AND GINGER BREAKFAST MUFFINS

MAKES 12

Light brown self-raising flour 300g
Mixed spice 1 tsp
Sweet freedom 100ml
buttermilk 200ml
ginger 1tsp finely chopped
butter 125g melted
egg 1
mint leaves 10 finely chopped
vanilla extract 1 tsp
fresh rhubarb 180g cut into 1 cm chunks

HEAT the oven to 180’/ Gas 4.

SIFT flour and mixed spice into a large bowl.

WHISK buttermilk, ginger, butter, egg, sweet freedom and vanilla extract together in a jug.

MAKE a well in the centre of dry ingredients.

POUR in buttermilk mixture and fold in rhubarb and mint until everything is combined, 18 strokes should do.

PLACE 12 muffin cases in muffin tin and fill with cake mixture.

BAKE for 30 minutes, check with a cocktail stick, it should come out clean when pressed into the centre of a muffin.

TRANSFER to a wire rack to cool, these are best served warm, with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

HANDY TIP - For quick and fuss free ginger, try The Gourmet Garden brand. It keeps well in the fridge and spices up many things.