Food, especially vegetables and fruits, can be grouped by seasons and as such, the availability of certain types of food can dictate on what premises can offer to their customers. Yet here we have rare recipe that straddles seasons as well as having a key, local ingredient which we love.

Here is a mid-seasonal soup that is a perfect accompaniment for those days when Christmas is firmly in the rear view mirror, but the first signs of it being spring haven’t quite burst through into life yet. The soup also makes use of the vegetables that are to hand whilst also utilising a fruit, that’s actually a vegetable, that is near enough ready to be plucked from its triangular home.

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 450g parsnips – peeled and roughly chopped
• 225g rhubarb – washed and sliced
• 1 onion
• 2tsp fresh root ginger – grated
• 1tbsp plain flour
• 850ml vegetable stock
• 2tsp light brown sugar
• salt and pepper
• parsley (for garnishing) – chopped

Method

• Melt the butter and cook the parsnips, rhubarb, onion and ginger for five minutes in a covered saucepan without colouring
• Add the flour and stir well
• Add the stock and sugar
• Bring to boil whilst stirring continuously
• Reduce the heat and then simmer for around fifteen minutes – or until the the vegetable are tender
• Cool, and then purée using either a stick blender or a liquidiser until the mixture is smooth
• Use the salt and pepper to season to taste
• Serve with the parsley

Rhubarb as you know is famously associated with the Rhubarb triangle located nearby. The geographical area relates to the land between Rothwell, Wakefield and Morley but at one time spread out between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield. It’s a native of Siberia, so maybe that explains why it likes it around here! In the heyday, the little area housed over 200 farmers and produced 90% of the worlds rhubarb.