You can make a large crumble very quickly or divide it into eight ramekin dishes for a more sophisticated (nay portion controlled) dessert. It freezes well. Serve with whipped cream, greek yoghurt, ice cream or real custard (yes, it’s made from fresh eggs and milk, not the yellow coloured white sauce from a packet). Serves eight to ten.

Cut up about 1kg (2lbs) of rhubarb into chunks. Place in a pan with 75g (3oz) brown sugar and 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes with the lid on, stirring from time to time. Transfer to a pie dish. Sprinkle with crumble topping and bake for 30 – 40 minutes at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Crumble topping

200g (8 oz) wholemeal flour (or half flour, half rolled oats)
70g (3 oz) butter
70g (3 oz) brown sugar

I sometimes use half flour, half mouse muesli.

Rub the butter into the flour (or flour and oats) using your fingertips. Stir in the sugar. Spread over the fruit in an even layer.

Most cereal we buy is sweetened, processed slurry reconstituted into shapes, flakes and biscuits. I’m not that keen on it, can you tell? Be kind to yourself and make your own toasted muesli to have for breakfast, morning tea or bedtime snack. Change the proportions or ingredients to suit you and your pantry. Good enough to share with your friendly chooks, doves and mice. A little of this goes a long way.

2 cups whole rolled oats (they should look like oats that someone just rolled, not chopped or mushed up – Harraways does a good one and Home Brand ones at Woolworths aren’t bad either)

2 cups rye flakes (or use another 2 cups of oats)

Quarter of a cup orange juice

Quarter of a cup honey

Quarter of a cup oil (I use light olive oil)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and / or ginger (optional)

1 cup seeds (mixture of sunflower, sesame, linseed, pumpkin)

Half a cup dried fruit (mixture of sultanas, apple, apricots, figs, dates, prunes, chopped into small pieces)

Quarter of a cup shredded coconut

In a pan, warm the juice and honey enough to combine it easily. Add the oil and spices. Tip the oats and rye flakes onto a large, flat oven proof dish (I use my grill pan). Drizzle over the juice, honey and oil mixture and mix thoroughly together. Leave to stand for at least an hour or over night. Put the seeds in a separate roasting pan. Toast both dishes in the oven at 140 degrees C. Remove both at least every ten minutes and mix thoroughly to avoid burning. The seeds will take 15 – 20 minutes, the oat mixture about 40 minutes. Allow to cool in the oven.

When cool, mix the oat mixture, seeds, dried fruit and coconut together and store in an airtight container.

Try this as a topping for rhubarb crumble.