Although there were fears that cash strapped Britons would pass on sprouts this Christmas, figures show that 2011’s bumper brassica crop is growing and selling well.

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The latest government figures show that a quarter of the UK’s vegetable growers are losing money. December is the make or break month for growers, as sales this month can provide up to a third of their year's profit.

Last year, fate was especially cruel to UK producers, and freezing weather saw much of the UK’s crop of winter vegetables remaining frozen in the ground. This year, the milder weather, which has only recently turned colder over the past week in much of England, has helped with crops such as sprouts and cauliflowers.

In the East, some cauliflower growers are four weeks ahead of schedule and 2011’s Brussels sprout yield is forecast to be the best since 2005, thanks to a wet summer and mild, dry conditions throughout most of the UK this autumn.   

There were fears that, despite the bumper crop, shoppers may flout tradition and budget this Christmas. A recent poll by supermarket Morrisons suggested consumers would forego sprouts before anything else on their Christmas shopping list.

However, sprout sales have risen sharply over the past few years and the trend looks set to continue despite fears caused by the recession; 40,000 tons, £60 million worth of the seasonal vegetable, have already been sold this year, compared to £53 million last year.

Celebrity chefs, a number of whom have attempted to revamp the sprout’s image with exciting recipes, are thought to be behind the increased sales.

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