Brussel sprouts, you either love them or you hate them.

While many will bemoan the sudden appearance of the slightly pungent vegetable on the sides of their plates this season, there is more to the humble brussel sprout than meets the eye.

Italian chef and sprout campaigner Felice Tocchini has been singing the praises of the much maligned vegetable for years and said a lot of the stigma surrounding sprouts stemmed from bad childhood memories of an overcooked, mushy, yellow slop served up at Christmas.

When cooked correctly, not only does the sprout have exceptional nutrional value, three times the vitamin C than the same weight of oranges, Tocchini said it is more versatile to cook with than one might think.

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He discovered this a few years ago when he was challenged to produce a three-course meal utilising brussel sprouts in every course. While a starter and main was easy enough, Tocchini said creating a pudding proved difficult.

"We had a lot of disasters trying different recipes," he said. "My first idea was to try and do a toffee apple-type sprout ... that was bad, and I did try to dip some sprouts in chocolate, but that didn't really work either.

"Eventually I remembered a cake we make in Italy using spinach, and carrot cake is popular, so I thought if it works with carrots, maybe it can work with sprouts."

What evolved was Tocchini's sprout cake, which has now found its way into cook books and food blogs around the world. The cake will also be a feature at this year's British Sprout Festival, held in Worcester from 13-14 of November.

The festival is organised by the British Sprout Association in a bid to raise the profile of the misunderstood vegetable and they claim it is the only known celebration of the brussel sprout to take place in the world. This year's crowning glory will be a garden made entirely from sprouts.

If you want to give sprouts a go this season, Tocchini said the best way to buy them was on the stalk as they keep fresher for longer.

"Tie the stalk upside-down and hang them in a cool place. Outside at this time of year is perfect," he said. "If you pull off the sprouts from the top of the stalk down, they can remain fresh for up to two weeks rather than a few days if stored in the fridge."

If you want to have them as a side dish, Tocchini recommends boiling them for three-to-four minutes and tossing them in some olive oil with smoked bacon or chestnuts.

"But whatever you do, do not murder them by over-cooking them."

Click here for more recipes using brussel sprouts

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