Main content

The Queen of the Brassicas - the Brussels sprout!

Our Christmas Day special on why women should consider eating more sprouts

Our Christmas Day special programme is devoted to the Brussels sprout, with some incredible women for whom they’re playing a key role in their working lives.
As a nation we eat more sprouts than any other country in Europe but it’s a vegetable that, like marmite, divides opinion. Originally from the Middle East, they came to Europe as an export of the Roman Empire.
We hear how they became known as Brussels sprouts with the head of the Royal Horticultural Society Clare Matterson and the food historian Dr Sue Bailey.
Plant pathologist Dr Lauren Chappell and the brassica research expert Dr Rachel Wells explain how sprouts are being engineered to taste sweeter and withstand climate change. Nutritionist Charlotte Hunter says the phytoestrogens in these mini cabbages mean women should be eating more of them.
And for ideas about how to cook your sprouts, chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver and her daughter Miquita are on hand, as well as the chef Rosalind Rathouse.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager Neva Missirian

Available now

55 minutes

Broadcast

  • Christmas Day 2023 10:00

Follow us on Instagram

Get all the pictures, videos, behind the scenes and more from Woman’s Hour

Podcast