Into the Rhubarb Triangle, with Robert Tomlinson
We visited Robert Tomlinson's forced rhubarb growing grounds to learn about this unique fruit and the importance of the "Rhubarb Triangle".
In an inauspicious nine-square-mile region of West Yorkshire, all of the world's best rhubarb is grown.
It's called the Rhubarb Triangle. Its rugged landscape, fertile soils and time-honoured traditions make it the forced rhubarb motherland.
The art of rhubarb forcing was only discovered in the 1800s. Four generations later, one of the very first heritage growers is still doing things the old-fashioned way.
We visited Robert and Paula Tomlinson, who give their name to our new Tomlinson's Forced Rhubarb Kombucha, to learn more about this very special ingredient.
They told us that Forced Rhubarb was discovered completely by accident, when a group of gardeners uncovered a forgotten patch of rhubarb stalks.
In the darkness, they had shot up months earlier than usual. They were coloured in a vibrant pink, tasted sweeter than the summer crop, with an altogether different texture.
It didn't take long for growers in this special region of Yorkshire to make rhubarb forcing their own, building specialised forcing sheds over mineral-rich farmland.
A new rhubarb capital emerged.
In the winter, growers learned to take rhubarb crowns from the field inside, into their darkened, heated sheds for a new phase of forced growth.
The warmth would reawaken the plant and trigger them to shoot up - while a total absence of light prevents photosynthesis, preserving their vibrant color, natural sweetness and tender character.
Robert and Paula Tomlinson are now the fourth generation of rhubarb forcers on their Pudsey plot - their family have been there for 140 years.
“We cut out the photosynthesis. So there’s no chlorophyll in there and the sugar stays in the stick rather than going into the leaves.”
“Outdoor rhubarb can be really acidic and stringy, whereas this is a completely different crop. And you can have it for three or four months of the year, and that’s it.”
As growers committed to the tried and tested heritage methods, Robert and Paula harvest by candlelight.
Crouched low in the dark forcing sheds, each stalk is picked by hand, paying careful attention to the break point. Both the rhubarb and it's base - the crown - must be kept in perfect condition.
Year after year, the best crowns are saved. In the next season stalks are regrown, and over decades of careful attendance, the Rhubarb only improves in quality.
The result is a deeply pigmented rhubarb with thick, tender stems.
It's a very special ingredient, and we feel fortunate to have our hands on it.
The tangy sweetness of Forced Rhubarb is a natural partner for kombucha. We're now in our third year of partnership with Robert and Paula Tomlinson, and our brewers have uncovered the secrets of these pink stalks.
Tomlinson's Forced Rhubarb Kombucha tastes better than ever.