PUDDING LANE

Pretty pink rhubarb is one of my favourite things to cook with. Un-forced rhubarb is a little all or nothing seasonally. My Mum's allotment is, almost overnight, swamped with giant elephant leafed rhubarb, and it's a race to harvest it all before it gets tough and woody.

That's why the irony wasn't lost on me as I found myself bulk buying reduced rhubarb in Sainsbury's last week. It seemed a little alien to buy the stuff, but I can never resist ripe and reduced fruit. There are so many things you can do with a glut of ripe fruit - jams, cordials and curds all call for high quantities of fruit, and are the perfect way to preserve all the taste and beauty of seasonal produce.

Rhubarb usually ends up in my rhubarb vanilla jam, but this bundle was so fresh and pink that it seemed a shame not to try something new. Rhubarb sorbet is crazy easy to make and, while it will make your life easier, you don't need an ice cream churner to make this work.

The recipe leaves you with a delicious rhubarb purée that doesn't make it into the sorbet. You'd be mad to throw this away - cover with crumble, mix into custard tarts, or snaffle as a delicious cook's treat while your sorbet is freezing.

What are your favourite rhubarb recipes?

THE INGREDIENTS

400g rhubarb

1 lemon

150g caster sugar

150ml water

THE RECIPE

Begin by placing an ice cream container in the freezer. I use a loaf tin.

Chop up your rhubarb, and add to a large saucepan with the sugar, water and juice of the lemon. Cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has tenderised and completed broken down. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Place a sieve over a bowl, and carefully pour the rhubarb mixture into the sieve. Push the mixture through the sieve firmly, continuing until you are left with just a thick mixture in the sieve. Discard this, but keep it for a crumble, tart, or to eat with greek yoghurt.

Stir the strained mixture so that the consistency is even.. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn it following the machines instructions, then transfer to the freezer. If you don't have a churner, transfer the mixture to your frozen dish. Leave it to freeze for a couple of hours, then remove from the freezer and blend using a blender or hand blender. Return to the freezer, and repeat this process two or three times.

While we sadly won't be toasting a British victory this year, there's something beautifully British about the Wimbledon finals weekend. Crisp white kit, Sue Barker on BBC2 and strawberries and cream are our staple benchmarks of summer. The year hasn't been our finest hour as far as sporting success is concerned, but I should hope that won't impact the steady flow of pimms while the sun is shining.

Thick with strawberry and spiked with a strong helping of pimms,this sorbet is the perfect treat to accompany tomorrow's tennis. 2014 hasn't been Murray's year, but i'm going to exercise a spot of British optimism and wager that he'll be back with a bang next year. See you on Murray Mound in July 2015...i'll bring the pimms.

THE INGREDIENTS

400g strawberries

2 lemons, juiced

handful of fresh mint

130g caster sugar

130ml water

8 (generous) measures Pimms No. 1

THE RECIPE

Measure the sugar and water into a small pan, then bring this to the boil slowly. Add the mint leaves and allow it to boil for a few minutes, until the liquid is clear and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and once cool enough, remove and discard the mint leaves.

Hull the strawberries, then blitz in a blender with the juice of two lemons. Press the pureed fruit through a sieve, then add this to the sugar syrup. Slosh in the Pimms, mix well and pour into a plastic tub. Freeze the sorbet for 2-3 hours, then scrape the contents back into your blender, and give it a quick blitz. Return to the freezer and allow to freeze solid.