Purple week: Week 9 of BigBarn’s food and drink weeks

Spring is finally here…almost. Just as we were all starting to get sick of winter root veg we can now start brightening things up with a touch of purple. Purple sporting broccoli is here and adding a touch a touch of colour to our plates and pulling out from the cold.

The first of the year’s brassicas to grace our plates, purple sprouting is usually bought up by top chefs champing at the bit to turn their backs on parsnips, swede and turnips and bring a more spring-like flavour to their dishes. And, who can blame them? Not only does it look very pretty, but it also tastes mighty fine!

But it’s not just purple sprouting we have to look forward to, now brassica season is underway, it won’t be too long a wait before we can enjoy Tenderstem, Belleverde and good-old fashioned broccoli in all it’s short-stemmed glory.

And, it’s not just flavour it’ll bring to your mealtimes, but a whole host of health benefits too! Broccoli’s noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fibre, which has hailed it as one of nature’s miracle vegetables!

For the freshest broccoli, often cheaper than the supermarket, pay a visit to your local greengrocer or farm shop. To find your nearest visit our local food map here.

If you have a favourite broccoli recipe that you’d like to share, or any other recipe, and would like the chance to win a prize, please video your recipe and add it to KIS (Keep it Simple) Cookery. Please have a look at existing videos here and try and keep your video less than 2 minutes long.