I found these in Woolies of all places. Right in the middle of the fresh produce aisle. I’ve sliced them and will gently cook them until al dente. 

I thought they would look nice with some fresh green peas and some BBQ’d lamb chops, mint sauce and a pat or four of Lurpac butter, which should dress them nicely. I like colourful food. Nothing looks more inviting on a plate that some colour.

I remember some of the woeful school dinners I was subjected to as a child. Grey balls that deflated when you stuck your fork into them (Brussel sprouts). Limp white cauliflower that disintegrated when you attempted to pick it up, so much so, that even a cheese sauce could not save it, and worst of all, the beige disks that had had the life boiled out of them. These were once proud carrots, but now tasted of nothing in particular (it was even worse if they were covered in gravey and you couldn’t tell them apart from the parsnip because they were all the same colour). Ugh.

I did, however, like the pudding we named dead mans arm at one particularly nasty British private school I was unfortunate enough to attend. It was a suet roll filled with raspberry jam and covered in lashings of pale, insipid looking custard. Oddly, it was surprisingly good. I hated the lemon tapioca they did, it was slimey and cold and thoroughly disagreeable. I would swap my serve for an extra chop. (Some children have no discerning palate, luckily for me.)

I love Brussel sprouts now. Cooked quickly and minimally, they retain a slight crunch and that beautiful colour, and, if you dress them generously with butter, salt and pepper, and a whiff of lemon juice, they are divine. Veggies should be lightly cooked so they still retain their vibrancy. It makes them much more interesting, and indeed, tasty. We do, after all, eat with our eyes.

Kind regards,

J