Don’t leaf it out! Britons now crave red cabbage as standard trimming with Christmas dinner… but make sure you cook it correctly
- Vegetable is alongside sprouts and roasties as an essential part of festive dinner
- It was the most searched recipe on the website BBC Food on Christmas last year
- Braised red cabbage with cider and apples was the most popular recipe online
It may be overlooked on our plates at Christmas among the slices of turkey and piles of pigs in blankets, but it seems red cabbage is fast becoming a British seasonal staple.
The vegetable is squeezing in alongside sprouts, roasties and bread sauce as an essential component of a festive dinner – but it seems many families aren’t sure how to prepare it.
Red cabbage was the most searched recipe on the website BBC Food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year.
Red cabbage was the most searched recipe on the website BBC Food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year
Recipes online included red cabbage with beetroot and red cabbage with coriander seed, but braised red cabbage with cider and apples was the most popular.
The vegetable has grown in popularity over the years thanks to several creative recipes from celebrity cooks, including Nigella Lawson, Mary Berry and Jamie Oliver.
Second place on the BBC Food list was less surprising – turkey.
Food experts believe red cabbage recipes topped the search because many households will find out how to cook their turkey in advance of the big day, but will research the accompaniments at the last minute.
The vegetable has grown in popularity over the years thanks to several creative recipes from celebrity cooks, including Nigella Lawson (pictured)