Mr. Sprout

We’ve been to New York several times now, and the along with iconic sites such as Central Park, the Guggenheim and Grand Central Station, coming across Mr. Sprout in delis and food stores across the city always raises a smile.

I confess that I was slightly concerned what the hotel staff would have thought if they’d discovered us taking this photo on the roof of the hotel. But we got away with it.

I’m a fan of sprouts - always have been - though I realise they’re a vegetable you’ll either love or hate. I remember (but can’t lay my hands on) a Nigel Slater recipe that involved ‘shredding’ as fine as you can and frying with bacon and a bit of butter - resulting in a salty, earthy version of crispy seaweed (well, that’s what I thought at the time).

I should imagine there’s a statistic somewhere claiming that 99% of UK sprout consumption is on Christmas Day, but what a shame if this is the case.

The BBC Food website will tell you all you need to know (and more) about the humble sprout.