Forced Rhubarb hits the Stoops

It’s a local story. The technique of forcing rhubarb was first devised in Chelsea, and now The Blue Stoops is doing delicious things with it a few miles north in Kensington.

History has it that the first Forced Rhubarb was grown by accident at The Chelsea Physic Garden in 1817 (nine years before my 7-times great grandfather Samuel Allsopp invented India Pale Ale in a teapot). Having unwittingly covered a rhubarb plant over winter, the gardeners noted that the stalks had shot up months earlier than a normal outdoor crop, and with a vibrant colour.

From West London, to West Yorkshire: by the late 1870’s, growers in what would become known as ‘The Rhubarb Triangle’ (an area around Wakefield) had constructed specialised forcing sheds to bring Forced Rhubarb to market at a time when very little else grew in the UK and storage fruits — apples and pears — were running low.

In December, rhubarb crowns were taken from the field into darkened, heated sheds for a new phase of forced growth. The warmth reawakens the plant and triggers them to shoot up while a total absence of light prevents photosynthesis, preserving their vibrant colour, natural sweetness and tender character.

Now, back in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Stoops chefs Lorcan and Jacob are making free with Forced Rhubarb, currently as a Crumble-Tart but soon to become a delicate sorbet, with an optional shot of another local offering, Kavka Vodka, on top. The pink stuff should be around for another few weeks at least…