Niche 'Winter Greens' selection product reviews

I was always open-minded when it came to vegetables. Sure, I wanted junk food like most kids, but I also appreciated (and still do) something healthier that at least has some appeal, be it colour, flavour, visual appeal or even just well prepared. Sprouts are dull and smell funny, but when you crop them in half, throw them in a pot on top of a wire rack, a sprinkle of curry powder and a half cup of water, then on with the lid and steam them... served with some garlic butter drizzled on top... totally stunning stuff, honestly!

But nothing could have prepared me for the results of this little test! Despite some unseasonally heavy rain washing out most of the garden, these survived pretty well as they were on a higher, semi-sheltered patch and thus had less water to contend with. So I was really pleased when it became clear that not only were they going to make it, they were actually doing quite well.

Harvest time, and I was blown away. Words can not describe just how cool it is to walk out to your garden and see a stunning example of nature's ever-inventive mathematics in action. Yup, that seriously cool looking "Heirloom Romanescu Broccoli". You want to see fractal maths in action, take a look at a good healthy head of this stuff... it really was mind-blowing... as well as tummy-filling.

It seemed such a shame not to prepare something special for this... so I did up a steamed platter of Fractal Broc and Purple Cauli, with some garlic carrots, parsnips and sprouts on the side. To satisfy the carnivores, a roast chicken dismembered on another plate, a salad made from our own harvested lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, cucumber, carrots and beetroot to round it off. This was all laid out as a buffet-style lunch in the first of the decent weather we've seen for months.

Overall, the results were well worth the wait and effort. These are not only a delight to look at, but a flavoursome treat to pack the belly with too. Firm texture that holds through cooking, but gives way in the mouth, stunning flavour that puts store-bought to shame, and something you can feel proud to be eating, knowing that you grew it yourself... so you know fairly well exactly what was sprayed on and around it. In our case, all we used was a bit of liquid fertiliser when the sprouts were planted, and just tap water after that. Even a garden-gremlin like me can do it!