As the days start to get a little longer and the weather (hopefully) gets warmer we turn to seasonal ingredients like young tender vegetables and of course new season Lamb. The new season vegetables require little cooking like asparagus, young carrots, leeks & other spring vegetables.

Fish dishes are also popular with all of us this time of year when we are looking for a lighter dish, away from the dark winter nights, such as salmon and don’t forget to finish of your meal with some seasonal Rhubarb too!.

I have a superb recipe for Rhubard Meringue Pie, its fantastic a sweet meringue with the tartness of new spring rhubard is delicious.

You will need: 200g SR Flour, 25g ground walnuts, 115g butter, 275g caster sugar, 4 egg yolks, 675g rhubard, grated rind and juice of 3 oranges, 75ml cornflour, 3 egg whites and whipped cream.

Sift your flour and add your walnuts, rub in your butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. stir in 2 tblsp sugar with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tblsp water. Mix to a firm dough and turn out on to a floured surface and knead. Wrap your pastry in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes in a refridgerator.  Preheat your oven to 190 c/375 f/ gas 5 then roll out your pastry and use this to line a 23cm fluted flan tin. Prick the base with a fork line with foil which you need to fill with baking beans and bake for 15 minutes.  Put your rhubard which has been cut into small pieces with 75g of the remaing sugar, orange rind in to a saucepan. Cover and cook gently until the rhubard is tender.  Remove foil from your pastry case, brush with a little egg yolk and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the pastry is crisp. Now blend together the cornflour, orange juice in a bowl. Remove rhubard from the heat and stir in the cornflour mix and bring back to the boil until thickened. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and beat in the remaing egg yolks then pour into the pastry case and spread out. Whisk together the egg whites until you have soft peaks then gradually whisk in the remaining sugar 1 tblsp at a time. Spoon the meringue over the top of the rhubard and bake for 25 minutes until golden.

You can serve this delicious dessert warm or cold. We like ours served with whipped cream.

Let me know you favourite Rhubard recipe?