We-eh-ell, you know you make me wanna sprout!

"A sprout is for life, not just for christmas." The Sprout Growers Association

Brussel Sprouts get a bad name; these wee green vegetables have, for generations of children, become synonymous with overcooked, unflavoured school dinners, not to mention their unfortunate anti-social consequences. However, despite this terrible reputation sprouts are incredibly nutricious, can be very delicious and - most importantly - are very much currently in season. Consequently this post aims to challenge your sprout prejudices and encourage you to embrace these little lumps of nutritional wonder.

Nourishing nibbles

• Brussels are an excellent source of Vitamins K and C (just 100g gives you your recommended daily dose and they contain 3 times as much Vit C gram/gram when compared to oranges)
• Sprouts are particularly high in glucosinolates which many believe offer protection from cancer
• They are high in a unusually wide variety of anti-oxidants which is particularly helpful in lowering risk for cardiovascular diseases
• Sprouts have excellent cholesterol lowering qualities, especially when steamed (the fibre in the sprout must be cooked slightly to work at its optimal level)
• Like all leafy green vegetables, sprouts are also a good source of folic acid

Cream of the crop

• Sprouts should be firm and bright green and if you can buy them attached to the stalk they will stay fresh for longer
• Avoid sprouts with loose or yellowing leaves.
• Store untrimmed sprouts in the fridge for up to a fortnight.
• Sprouts can also be frozen but its a sensible idea to blanche them in some boiling water first for 3 minutes.

Cooking

• The bitter taste associated with cafeteria sprouts comes from the sulphurous flavour that emerges when the vegetable is cooked for too long. A tasty sprout should therefore be "al dente"
• When choosing sprouts in the supermarket try to ensure heads of a similar size to allow equal cooking time. Marking an x in the bottom of a sprout (at the root) will also help even cooking.
• To retain the best flavour and nutrition it is best to steam sprouts (and they cook in less than 5 minutes!)

5 things you didn't know about Brussel sprouts

1. Brussel sprouts get their name (unsurprisingly) from the fact that they were first grown in Belgium
2. The Netherlands produces over 82,000 tonnes of sprouts a year!
3. Scientists have suggested that a dislike for Brussel Sprouts may be down to a genetics.
4. They were voted the UK's most hated vegetable in 2002 (clearly they hadn't tried them stir fried with ginger and onions -mmmm)
5. Roman's used sprouts as a modern day alka seltzer and some claim sprout smoothies are ultimate hangover cure (we'll take their word for it)