Early rhubarb is in the shops again, so it's time to get your crumble on. I was just about to do this, when I came upon an idea from Jamie Oliver, a tasty recipe for rice pudding and rhubarb.

In Jamie's recipe he uses Pimms, but it's freezing outside in London, so I just didn't feel that could work. Instead a added a few dashes of orange cocktail bitters from that excellent company The Bitter Truth. The slightly tangy rhubarb goes particularly well with the sweetness of the rice pudding, and orange notes. This is a dish that's pretty quick to make and will please everyone except rhubarb haters. The recipe is an adaptation of Jamie's, so many thanks to Mr Oliver.

• 100g risotto rice
• 0.6 litres full milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 tablespoon demerara sugar

Add the rice and the milk to a pan, add the sugar. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, then add pod and seeds to the pan. Simmer gently for about 30 mins, or until the rice is lovely and soft and rice puddingish. Don't forget to stir often, to stop it sticking. When the puddings is cooking, it time to get your rhubarb on.

300 g of rhubarb, cut in chunks
a splash of orange juice/50ml
a few drops of orange cocktail bitters
2 tablespoons of demerara brown sugar
1 slice of orange peel
1 bay leaf

Add all ingredients to a pan, and simmer until the rhubarb is tender. If you like the rhubarb intact, this will be about 5 mins or so. If you prefer it more stewed, then 8 mins or so. When done, remove the orange peel and bay leaf.

Bon App.