IF YOU GREW UP IN RURAL COUNTRYSIDE YOU MIGHT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, I DOUBT THAT THEY'RE EVER SOLD IN A SUPERMARKET OR CROCER'S SHOP.. WE LOVE THEM.

What are they?

They're called Sprout Tops, they are the very top of the long stem that Brussel Sprouts grow on.

If you see a long stem of sprouts at a farmer's market or in a grocers, almost certainly they've had the top lopped off.

And it is this bit, without a doubt, which is the very best bit of the vegetable. The sprouts that are on it are tiny, about the size of an old sixpence and get smaller still as you go up the stem to the top leaves.

The top leaves don't taste like cabbage but they look like a blowsy cabbage stuck on the top of this stem.

Pick off the baby sprouts and put them into boiling salted water for no longer than a minute, after 30 seconds of the minute, add the leaves and put on the lid.

Then strain the vegetable water into a mug, add a dash of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper with maybe a sprinkle of ground chilli and garlic.  

She found them today on her favourite stall in the market, four tops for a £1.00, she also found three pomegranates for a £1.00, this made me happy because I adore these fruits.

She was out of here at some ungodly hour this morning, her hearing aids needed work and she disappeared underground to catch the tube to Hammersmith to go to the audiology department of Charing Cross Hospital.

Her naughty surgery had not sent back the hospital's letter requesting an appointment for her hearing to be retested, her last test was March '15, so she took a copy of the original letter and went off to confront her surgery.

WELL! That was jolly! The doctor hadn't signed it, despite it being stamped as received on January 10th.. so someone found a doctor very quickly and she took it back to CC Hospital, handed it to the receptionist and smiled.. like a wolf! 

She roared with laughter and said "well done, goodness knows when you would have had an appointment if you hadn't gone into the lions den and got this letter back, now how about 2.15pm on February 6th? Does that suit you?"

She nodded and said "that's great, thank you" and then sat and waited for a technician to come and sort out her dodgy hearing aids!

So with hearing aids that now worked, her hearing test date fixed, she trundled off back home and that's when she found the goodies in the market.

We have had an early lubbly-jubbly supper and are having an early night for tomorrow is work day, we're going to the shop earlier than usual as she has a tea date with Raja.

I'll have been in my cage all day, she'll bring me home so that I can flap and stretch my arms, then she'll pick up laptop and go off to have more instruction in the use of it.

Hopefully the weather on Thursday will be dryer, for today was pretty dismal and she wants to do at least two days out at the allotments this week.

Good luck hunting those Sprout Tops! We had one for supper tonight with a tiny grating of nutmeg on top of the leaves.. very slurpicious it was too!

GeeGee Parrot.

January 23rd, 2018.