Brits are going wild for all things rhubarb with the classic dessert vegetable also now popular as a fragrance for air fresheners, washing up liquid, candles and even toilet paper.

The taste and also smell of rhubarb has become so popular in the last few years that Tesco now has nearly 40 different food, drink and household products that feature the vegetable in some form.

These include flavoured spirits such as vodka and gin; dessert pies; yoghurts; preserves; the classic rhubarb and custard sweets; the tinned vegetable in syrup; pressed rhubarb drink; fruit cordial; tonic water; anti-bacterial spray; tea lights; and a diffuser.

And the latest related product to hit the shelves is the UK’s first ever rhubarb and custard hot cross buns.

The vegetable has long been one of our favourite treats and the classic rhubarb and custard has been one of our most popular desserts since Victorian times.

But it’s never been as popular as it is now with Tesco currently seeing demand for forced rhubarb – considered by food lovers to be the more tender and sweeter variety - currently rocketing by more than 200 per cent versus the same time last year.

And Norfolk grower and food manufacturer Place UK, based in Tunstead, near Norwich, has also seen demand for forced rhubarb soar by more than 170 per cent since 2019.

Tesco rhubarb buyer Paul Curtis said:

“Rhubarb has very much become the flavour of the moment and besides being a classic dessert in crumble form with custard, is now considered one of the most popular flavourings and scents in many food, drink and household products."

“Who would ever have thought that one day there would be rhubarb scented washing up liquid, candles and even loo paper! Right now is the peak of the forced rhubarb season, which lasts from the end of January until late March and it’s when rhubarb is at its sweetest and most flavoursome. And the current trend is creating record demand."

While it used to be specifically grown in the famous rhubarb triangle around Wakefield, Morely and Rothwell in West Yorkshire, its popularity has encouraged more UK producers to grow it.

The traditional UK forced rhubarb season lasts from January till end of March while the field variety is grown from April till the end of October. Norfolk grower Place UK, which has worked with Tesco to produce forced rhubarb for many years, now grows more than 25 tonnes of early season forced rhubarb a year.

Place UK Head of Fresh Operations Dan Yordanov said:

“Rhubarb is a tremendously versatile vegetable, and we’re not surprised to see it now gaining popularity in a wide variety of food and drink products. We’ve seen demand particularly grow for the forced variety which is currently in season and as a result we have planted around 30 per cent more in the last five years."

“To give you some example of how popular it’s become, in 2019 we sold just under 25000 packs to the food retail and manufacturing industry and last year we sold more than 65,000 packs."