Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Trim 500g rhubarb, removing the pale ends of the stalks and any dry edges. Cut the stems into short lengths, roughly 5cm, then put them into a baking dish and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of sugar. Slice an orange in half, squeeze the juice of both halves over the rhubarb and sugar and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and deep pink. There should be plenty of juice around the edges of the dish. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a chilled bowl, whip 250g of double cream till almost thick. It should be stiff enough to sit in soft mounds but not stiff enough to hold a peak.
Pour 250ml of ready-made vanilla custard into a bowl or deep jug. Break 100g of shop-bought meringues into small pieces into the custard and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Divide half the meringues between 4 large glasses. Add a large spoonful of cream on top of the meringue, followed by 2 spoonfuls of ready-made custard. Divide the rhubarb between the glasses then add the remaining custard, meringue and whipped cream.
Trickle over some of the juice from the rhubarb, decorate as you wish (I use 2 tbsp of chopped pistachio nuts but crystallised rose petals or a little grated orange zest would be good, too) then eat straight away. Enough for 4
There is plenty of rhubarb here for both the dessert and a little for breakfast the next day.
If you wish, you can cook the rhubarb on the hob instead: put the stalks and sugar in a non-reactive pan (stainless steel is ideal) with 2 tbsp of orange juice or water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat immediately, and let the rhubarb simmer for 5 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn’t break up.
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