[Review] Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients Forced Rhubarb

I love Rhubarb anything but it occurred to me that I have never had any fresh rhubarb before yet it is native to UK.

When I saw fresh Rhubarb at Waitrose, I fell in love with the shocking pink colours that were shiny and metallic.

Rhubarb is an odd vegetable that you eat for dessert.

Although it looks like celery, the structure is nothing like celery, I was surprised that once it is cooked it is soft so you don't have to remove the skin which looks stringy.

I had the rhubarb as a dessert and as a savoury dish.

The simplest dessert is rhubarb custard but since I didn't have any custard in the cupboard, I mixed a farley rusk biscuit with cashew milk and had it with rhubarb.

The taste was amazing that I had seconds.

While I was poaching the rhubarb, you get this beautiful pink liquid which you can retain to make pink custard or some pink drizzle.

For the savoury dish, I did a stew inspired by Persian cuisine.

As the rhubarb is sour, I decided to pair it with Hunza apricots which have a toffee taste and simmered everything together with finely chopped onions and chicken.

The dish was lovely but the only thing I didn't expect was the colour change because it goes brown.

If I were to make this dish again, I would add some cinammon and more Hunza apricots for a stronger sweet taste but overall I am so glad I tried fresh rhubarb.

 

[Vegetable review] Jerusalem Artichoke

Jerusalem Artichokes are root vegetables that look similar to ginger.
These root vegetables are best roasted or blended into soups.
They taste like water chestnuts with an unpleasant urine smell.

[Review] M&S Marks and Spencers Butterhead salad

Butterhead is a my favorute salad vegetable because it goes well with anything, the leaves are delicate yet not grassy.

[Review] M&S Marks and Spencers Select Farms Rainbow Carrots

As well as pretty rainbow chards, M&S also have colourful rainbow carrots.
I am a sucker for anything that is colourful so I just had to try them.

To be honest, they just taste like your usual carrot but the yellow is sweeter and they are all quite hard when you eat them raw.

[Review] M&S Marks and Spencers Pea Shoots

Pea shoots are a lovely sweet and crisp salad vegetable which goes well with salad.
I paired it with some crispy chicken and Moroccan houmous and it was a nice appetizer salad.

[Review] Sainsbury's Edamame Beans

Edamame Beans are popular these days that you can find them fresh or frozen at the supermarket.

I ended up getting a tub from Sainsburys to make Japanese mixed grain rice it tasted just how you would expect it to.

[Review] M&S Marks and Spencers Parsnips

Parsnips are just parsnips and great for roasting so made a wintery roast for dinner with parsnips, chestnuts, carrots and pumpkin.

[Review] M&S Marks and Spencers Rainbow Chards

I love Swiss Chards (white) as well as Rainbow chards because they are large and leafy like spinach, yet the stalks are colourful and sweet a bit like beetroots.

My favourite way of cooking them is having them sauteed in olive oil with chili or fermented black beans with chili.

Or simply blanch them and they are sweet and delicious.

The Swiss chards were so delicious that I bought then again.

[Review] M&S Marks and Spencers Padron Peppers

Padron peppers are delicious.

They look like chilis but they actually taste like green peppers.

Blistered padron peppers are a popular dish in Spanish restaurants but due to the current situation I have been dining out less.

When I saw that M&S had Padron peppers I decided to get some but unfortunately someone in the house cooked them like bell peppers with black bean!

Padron peppers with almonds and balsamic that I had at a restaurant.

[Review] Sainsbury's Sweet Potato

Although I am not really keen on Sweet Potatoes I ended up getting a bag from Sainsburys.
Sweet potatoes are just weird because they are sweet.
I always eat them first of last if they are on my plate.
However having sweet potatoes with salted caramel icecream or clotted cream is such a good pairing inspired by the Japanese sweet potato dessert with icecream.

As well as having it as a dessert, I had them roasted and they tasted great on their own just like the ones you get from street vendors in Hong Kong!

[Review] M&S Select Farms baby cabbage

I was captivated by these baby cabbages because they just looked cute.

When I bought them I was thinking that they would taste like cabbage but just the size is different.

However when I posted them, someone mentioned a big Brussels sprouts which is also true because they do look like big Brussel sprouts.

The funny thing was that the taste was just like Brussels Sprouts so I was quite surprised by that.

Chestnut foraging

This year, decided to go chestnut foraging in the woods.

There are chestnuts at Greenwich park, Deer Park (Sevenoaks), Greenwich and many more.

It is hard to find describe the exactly location but ask any Chinese person in the UK and they should hopefully tell you.

You will know that you are in the right place when you see lots of Chinese people just as described in the forum posted at the bottom. 

If you are lucky you will find lots of chestnuts under the chestnut tree.

All you do is use a screwdriver to help open up the shell or pick the ripe chestnuts on the ground.

What do you do with chestnuts:

As a foodie, I have eaten so many dishes with chestnuts.

My favourite is roasted chestnuts especially during Christmas from traditional chestnut stalls in London which is now a nostalgic thing but can be found at Winter Wonderland or possibly Borough Market.

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong gives out chestnuts during the festive season.

Others include chestnut cakes, green tea chestnut loaf from Starbucks, candied chestnut and Brussel sprouts, chestnut butternut squash soup, chestnut stuffing with roast, braised duck with chestnuts.