Macroom buttermilk porridge with stewed rhubarb

Serves 4

Donal Creedon produces some of the finest oatmeal I have come across. He produces small quantities in his mill in Macroom in County Cork and it has a delicious toasted flavour that gives the porridge a completely different character from your normal run-of-the-mill stuff. You can buy it from Neal's Yard Dairy (www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk). It's currently the Yorkshire Triangles forced rhubarb season – so what better an accompaniment for this creamy buttermilk porridge?

For the porridge

750ml whole milk
250ml buttermilk
2tbsp caster sugar
6-7tbsp oatmeal

For the rhubarb

500g rhubarb, trimmed
100g caster sugar, or more if you wish

Bring the whole milk and sugar to a simmer, then stir in the oatmeal and simmer on a very gentle heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring every so often. A diffuser plate is always handy for this. Stir in the buttermilk. The porridge should be a spooning consistency, but if you're not going to use it straight away, you can always add more buttermilk at the end; make sure you cover it, as it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the rhubarb into rough 2cm pieces and scatter with the sugar, cover with foil and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender. If a lot of liquid has come out of the rhubarb, drain it off into a small saucepan and simmer until it has thickened then mix with the rhubarb. Serve hot, warm or cold, spooned over the porridge.