…local, unforced rhubarb, grown in the fields around Ebrington and fresh in Ilmington Community Shop! Our lovely volunteer Julie Jones makes her own rhubarb gin every year and was happy to present the first stalks of the season from Drinkwaters Farm. Her recipe: “You take an equal measure of rhubarb and sugar and let it steep overnight. Next day, top it up with as much gin as you fancy. Keep it in a clean, sealed container and turn it occasionally. Four weeks later you can drink it. I have a long list of people waiting to taste the first crop this year!” Julie is new to the village and started volunteering at the community shop in January. “I landed here on my own, so it’s a fantastic way to get to know people,” she says. “I love it at the shop, I feel I’m part of the village already. When I go on my walk, people now stop to say hello.” There are a thousand ways to prepare rhubarb: team it with ginger in a cake, or with strawberries for an unusual crumble. “My first crop gin will be ready in time for my birthday at the end of April,” says Julie. But if you want to taste it, you’ll have to join the queue…
