The mystery of Yorkshire forced rhubarb

Robert Tomlinson’s family has been growing forced rhubarb on their Pudsey farm for over 100 years. Each year we devise a special menu that celebrates his uniquely Yorkshire crop. But why is Yorkshire forced rhubarb special?

A restaurateur in 1950s Britain would have had a ready answer: its seasonality. In the days before the mass importation of fruit, rhubarb would be placed in warm ‘forcing sheds’ to fool it into thinking it was spring, thus bringing welcome sweetness to winter menus.

The restricted light also made the stalks pinker, less tart and more delicate than outdoor rhubarb, so it earned the name ‘Champagne’. The practice became an industry in Yorkshire, and the area between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield earned the nickname ‘the Rhubarb Triangle’. It is said that the soil in this area was particularly well suited to growing rhubarb because ash from chimneys in the nearby industrial cities fell on the fields and provided the very nutrients that rhubarb thrives on.

Demand was so great that special trains left Leeds each day, stopping at branch line stations to be loaded with freshly picked crops bound for London. Robert’s family had their own wagons which they loaded in Pudsey.

Many things have changed since then, but Robert grows and harvests his forced rhubarb just as his father, grandfather and great grandfather did: tricking it out of its winter slumber, nurturing it in the darkness, and picking it by candlelight so as not to wake the younger stalks. The old ways are still the best.

Yorkshire rhubarb in a ginger syrup, served with a white chocolate soufflé pancake and topped with crème fraiche.

A French speciality, with rhubarb and almond frangipane on a sweet pastry base with preserve.

A wonderfully refreshing mix of sweet rhubarb tea and ginger, with an elderflower infusion and sparkling water.

Enjoy a little celebratory fizz with a rhubarb-infused glass of Champagne Hébrart Premier Cru.