It’s not good news: despite a lot of messaging about healthy eating, Britons consume 12% less vegetables per week than they did in 1974, when the government’s Family Food survey began. And while the consumption of some specific vegetables – courgettes, say – has risen over the past 50 years, others have experienced a sharp decline. Among the biggest losers is cabbage. Cabbage consumption in the UK dropped by 80%, beaten only by brussels sprouts (87%) which are, after all, a kind of cabbage.
This is a tragedy, not just because cabbage is an unsung superfood containing essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as protein and dietary fibre, but because it’s a flexible, abundant and potentially delicious culinary ingredient. It even comes in different colours.
