Hot porridge with warm rhubarb compote and toasted almonds

I'm not sure if you've heard, but it snowed last night. This seems to have fallen under the radar on many social networking sites, so I do hope that you'll thank me for the heads up. What better way to prepare for a log gathering session than a piping hot bowl of porridge for breakfast?

Simply soften a 2 chopped sticks of rhubarb in a pan with a good squeeze of honey, one tablespoon of sugar and a small splash of water (so that the rhubarb doesn't catch). Don't let it break down too much - you want a bit of rhubarb shape left. Spoon over a bowl of hot porridge with an extra drizzle of honey and toasted almonds - a dusting of ground cinnamon works a treat too. Serves 2.

Rhubarb crumble

Whenever I read the term 'forced rhubarb', I get a picture in my head of an unruly pink stalk wriggling around like an eel as a farmer tries to cram it into a veg box. Anyway, it's in season now, and there's nothing better on a dark winter night than a rhubarb crumble served with rivers of thick custard.

400g Rhubarb
150g Light muscovado sugar
1tbsp Honey
A thumb sized piece of root ginger, grated
100g Self-raising flour
100g Butter
50g Porridge oats
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the rhubarb into thumb-sized pieces, then transfer into a saucepan with the ginger, honey, a splash of water and 100g of the sugar. Simmer on a medium heat until the sugar has melted and the rhubarb has softened slightly. Take of the heat and pour into an oven proof dish.

To make the crumble topping, sieve the flour into a mixing bowl with the cinnamon, add the remaining 50g sugar and grate the butter in (or chop it into small cubes, it just makes it a bit easier to work with). Use your fingertips and to rub everything together, it takes a bit of time but you should end up with a coarse, breadcrumb-like mix. Stir in the porridge oats then scatter on top of the rhubarb. Bake for approx. 30 mins until golden.