Have yourself a delicious, waste-free Christmas: top tips from one of our Norfolk sprout suppliers

Emma Tacon, one of our Sourced Locally producers, shares her expert top tips on making delicious sprouts for Christmas Day and using up leftovers.

With festive tunes filling the radio stations, trees lighting up windows in every street and Christmas cards landing on our door mats – there’s no mistaking that the holidays are here.

Although big family gatherings and the usual series of Christmas parties are off the table this Christmas, there’s one thing that isn’t: food! So, we’re making sure we’ve stocked up on lots of festive food favourites keep your 2020 Christmas special.

We’re proud to be partnered with more than 100 fantastic local suppliers across East Anglia who stock our stores with over 2,500 different products. With people relying on local food more than ever this year, a Christmas dinner table full of food grown and produced on our doorsteps will feel especially magical. As well as being champions of locally produced food, we’re passionate about reducing food waste. That’s why we’ve been speaking to some of our local suppliers of fresh festive food favourites to get their tips on how to make delicious recipes for Christmas Day, with ingredients that can be enjoyed through Boxing Day and beyond too.

Meet one of our local fresh fruit and veg suppliers…

The Tacons is a family business run by Emma Tacon, her husband Charlie and his parents. Together they produce ‘home grown, high quality fruit and veg straight from the field’ at their farm in Rollesby near Great Yarmouth. The Tacons have been busy producing lots of tasty seasonal veg this winter including a Christmas must-have: sprouts. If you’re popping into one of our Norfolk stores to pick up your festive essentials, look out for Sourced Locally sprouts grown by The Tacons. 

Read more about The Tacons and our other Sourced Locally producers.

To find out the secret to preparing this misunderstood seasonal staple we asked The Tacons owner, Emma, to share her expert top tips on making delicious sprouts for Christmas Day and using up leftovers. 

How to prepare perfect sprouts & make the most of leftovers by Emma Tacon

The (once discarded, butt of many jokes) Brussel sprout is now a fashionable vegetable served in smart restaurants. The secret to tasty sprouts lies in freshness and not overcooking (think of them a bit like sprouting broccoli). 

Here’s a super simple way to make delicious sprouts on Christmas day:

1. To prepare your sprouts, start by removing them from their stalk by bending them downwards, then make sure you give them a good wash and remove any yellow leaves
2. Boil for around five minutes (be sure not to overcook them, they don’t need long) 
3. Drain thoroughly
4. Add a nob of butter and seasoning of your choice 

If you’ve got a bit more time, why not try this tasty recipe for Sprouts with squash and chestnuts: 

1. Peel and halve, if large, 1 stalk of sprouts
2. Peel, de-seed and cube 1 squash
3. Gently fry sprouts and squash in 3oz butter then season, cover & cook until tender 
4. Stir in 12oz cooked, chopped, chestnuts and 2tbsp fresh parsley  
5. Heat through, serve at once.

Don’t forget to use up your leftovers…

Feasting on Christmas Day leftovers is an important part of the festive season in our household and, like lots of festive food favourites, leftover sprouts are just as nice the next day. My favourite way to enjoy leftover sprouts is to fry them with some bacon and add in cabbage or any other left-over vegetables you’ve got lying around.

Watch this space for more Christmas day recipes and tips on using up leftovers from our Sourced Locally producers.