Sprouts sprout more than ever
We can expect extra large Brussels sprouts on our plates this Christmas Day after it was revealed that the vegetable will be up to 50 per cent bigger than usual due to the warm summer.
The high temperatures earlier in the year helped growth of the buttons – the part of the plant that is eaten.
“This year the United Kingdom will get some of the best quality sprouts we’ve seen for at least five years,” said Tesco’s sprout expert Rob Hooper.
Brussels sprouts – often cited as one of the foods that children hate–will be up to 50 per cent larger than usual this year due to the warm summer, a grower has said.
Lincolnshire firm TH Cle - ments, one of the UK’S biggest growers of brassica, has reported that sprout yield is up by 20 per cent on 2019 and that they will be whoppers.
It follows a warm spring and summer, which has help ed grow th of the buttons – the part of the plant that is eaten.
Richard M ow bray of TH Clements said: “The year so far for sprout production has been very good and we’re getting colder weather now just at the right time.
“During the last few weeks we have had some windy days, which helps to blow the old leaves off the plants and is again good for helping the buttons to remain blemish-free.
“If the weather stays like this then this will be the best Christmas for sprout quality in at least five years.”
Tesco, which is supplied by TH Clements, has reported a near 20 per cent rise in sprout sales this year compared with 2019.
The supermarket giant’ s sprout expert Rob Hoop er said that ideal weather from May onwards has led to a great crop.
“This year the UK will get some of the best quality sprouts we’ve seen for at least five years and great news for cooks is that the larger size will mean that they will be easier to peel,” he said.
“Nobody likes the chore of peeling sprouts but this year, because of their size, customers will need fewer of them on their Christmas dinner plates and that means less work in the kitchen.
“Sprouts for the winter season are planted in May and this year we had the warmest spring on record but a good summer with the right amounts of rain for fruit and vegetables.” “The early life of the crop, from planting through until the early autumn, is important to the ultimate quality of the sprouts in producing strong, tall stalks ready for producing the buttons – the bits of the sprouts which are eaten.”
Growing conditions this year have produced stalks of sprouts taller than growers have seen in recent years. It has also allowed buttons to form with a good amount of space between each one –important from a quality point of view as it allows air flow which helps them to stay blemish-free.
The news that we’ll have bigger sprouts on our plates this Christmas hasn’t come as a big shock to Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association. “We have had quite a good growing season,” he said.
“It was moderately damp at the start of the season in June and July and then has been fairly moderate through the autumn.
“It has been better than last year when it poured with rain day after day.
"The better the growing conditions, then the larger the crop will be.” The last time such big sprouts were produced was back in 2015, when supermarket chain Morrisons said that each of its sprouts would weigh about 35g, compared with the typical weight of 15g.
It was also rep or ted at the time that the giant vegetables would take an extra two minutes longer to cook.