Rapeseed oil
Rapeseed oil If you want a light alternative to other cooking oils, rapeseed is a great choice and has experienced a surge in popularity since around 2008. It’s produced from the bright yellow rape plant…
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Radicchio
Radicchio Pronounce it: rah-dee-chee-o An Italian relative of chicory, radicchio is a forced crop and has distinctive red and white leaves. The exact nature of its colouring depends upon how much light it has been…
Rhubarb
Rhubarb Pronounce it: roo-barb Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable (it’s related to sorrel and dock) but its thick, fleshy stalks are treated as a fruit, despite their tart flavour. Rhubarb grows in two crops. The…
Riesling
Riesling Pronounce it: ree-zling Wine writers’ favourite Ask wine writers for their favourite variety and the one many will name is Riesling. The reason is its capacity to produce great wines across the world, all…
Raspberry
Raspberry Pronounce it: ras-beh-ree A member of the rose family, raspberries have a wonderfully intense, sweet taste, and many consider them to be the finest flavoured of all the berries. Raspberries grow well in cool,…
Rye
Rye Pronounce it: rai The richly flavoured seed of a common and widely grown grass, rye’s robustness in difficult climates has long made it an important source of protein in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe,…
Rosemary
Rosemary Pronounce it: rose-mar-ee Rosemary’s intense, fragrant aroma has traditionally been paired with lamb, chicken and game, but it’s also suited to fish and bean dishes. Its shrub has light blue or pink flowers and…
Rice
Rice Pronounce it: r-eye-s Rice is a grain, the seed of a type of grass, which is the most widely grown and the most important source of dietary carbohydrate on Earth. Generally grown in flooded…
Redcurrant
Redcurrant Pronounce it: red-cur-rant These shiny little berries grow low on bushes, hanging from the branches like rows of miniature gems. Their flavour is a little tart but they’re still sweet enough to be eaten…
Rum
Rum Pronounce it: rhum Rum is a type of spirit based on sugar cane. First produced in the 1600s on slave plantations in the Caribbean, rum can be made directly from sugar-cane juice or from…