A Christmas tradition

 What is it about Christmas and Brussels sprouts?  For many households it wouldn't be a proper Christmas lunch if those tight, green mini-cabbages didn't appear.  They are the stuff of legend - think "Vicar of Dibley's Christmas" and the sprout eating contest springs to mind.  Brits eat more of them than any other nation in Europe.  The equivalent of 3240 football pitches are covered with sprout plants here.  

So many Christmas games are sprout-themed.  A quick check found pass the sprout, racing sprouts, sprout escape room.

They are a "marmite" vegetable.  The RHS website says, "While so many of us love them, others hate them, which could be due to the specific gene TAS2R38, otherwise known as the ‘Brussels sprouts gene’ which regulates bitterness perception. Or it could be down to the way they’re cooked."

Who am I to ignore tradition?  Yesterday I passed a wayside stall selling sprout trees.  Isn't the arrangement of sprouts on the stem lovely!   I shall have them stir fried, sauteed and steamed.  

But it's entirely possible that I may have very few friends in the next few weeks.