Love them or hate them…they are here, Brussel sprouts.

They appear every year and as a child I dedicated many a Christmas day avoiding them like the plague. For some reason it seemed to take an age to prepare them, boiled for at least an hour so the whole house stank…and what you were left with was soggy cabbage-like mush.

Well no longer!

This is actually the worst way to cook sprouts- or in fact any vegetable.

Brussel sprouts, along with broccoli and any other brassicas, contains sulforaphane,  which is a chemical believed to contain active cancer fighting properties along with idole-3-carbinol, a chemical which can boost DNA repair in cells and it is believed to be one of the best natural deterrents against growth of cancer cells.

Unfortunately, excessive boiling significantly reduces the level of these compounds, steaming or alternatively stir-frying is much better for preserving taste, texture and quality of not just sprouts but most vegetables.

Brussel sprouts actually have a sweet, nutty flavour that some people find bitter but the flavour is easily combined with other common kitchen ingredients to make a pleasant side dish.

The rule with sprouts is; the smaller the sweeter and if you can buy them on the stalk they will last much longer that way.

Remove from the stem and trim off any damaged or yellowing leaves, like you would a head of cabbage.

I was under the impression that scoring the base was an essential part of cooking (to ensure they are evenly boiled) well this is unnecessary with smaller sprouts and we aren’t boiling them!

With larger sprouts, just simply cut them in half.

In a wok, heat a drizzle of olive oil and throw in some bacon lardons, or streaky bacon pieces.

Take your halved sprouts and spiral round a pan for 5-10 minutes on a high heat.

Fresh ginger pieces really bring out the sweetness of the vegetable and a glug of good quality balsamic vinegar will finish them beautifully. To serve, simply place into a bowl and onto the table, very little fuss and super quick and easy.

Whilst sprouts have great health benefits, and a fantastic source of fibre, consuming too many is not suitable for heart patients as they also have anticoagulant properties since they are high in vitamin K. There have been cases where consuming too many sprouts have been attributed to making heart patients condition worse and therefore excessive amounts should be avoided.