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Eat your greens

Mary Berry’s Brussels sprouts recipe – Christmas cooking tips and advice from the Great British Bake Off star

FOR me, Christmas is a time for celebration, for family, for laughter and good food.

I remember the times when I used to prepare everything at home – the turkey, vegetables, stuffing and pudding – and take it to Granny’s on Christmas Eve, ready to be cooked the next day.

 Mary Berry's recipe for Brussels sprouts will actually make you want to eat them
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Mary Berry's recipe for Brussels sprouts will actually make you want to eat them

Although, these days, most of my Christmases are at home and the young come back to us with their children, so the preparation and organisation doesn’t seem to be getting much less.

So I’ve gathered together my festive recipes and a few snippets of wisdom gained over the years to make your Christmas cooking easier and less stressful.

I wish you very happy cooking, a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.

 Mary Berry has shared her top tips for Christmas
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Mary Berry has shared her top tips for ChristmasCredit: TV Company

Buttered Brussels sprouts (serves 8)

Ingredients:

  • 900g Brussels sprouts
  • 25g butter
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sprouts are an essential part of Christmas lunch, although not everyone likes them!

This is one vegetable that really can't be kept hot, so cooking and serving the sprouts should be the last job before you sit down to eat.

Method:

  1. Prepare the sprouts, removing the outer leaves. Trim the base and
    cut a cross in the base of each sprout if you wish.
  2. Cook in boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, depending on size, until
    just cooked – don’t overcook.
  3. Drain, toss in the butter, season and serve immediately.

Variations:

  • Once boiled, stir-fry the sprouts with lardons of bacon until the bacon is crisp, or
  • Halve the boiled sprouts and stir-fry with sliced leeks, or
  • Toss the sprouts in butter with chopped herbs, such as chives and parsley, or
  • Serve boiled sprouts with toasted almonds or chopped chestnuts, or
  • Dish up boiled sprouts with grated orange zest.
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