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red cabbage has firmly established itself as a festive staple across Britain, with Supermarket giant Tesco A significant increase in demand was recorded during the Christmas period.
The retailer revealed that sales of the vibrant vegetable during Christmas week in 2024 increased by an impressive 150 per cent compared to the previous year, with a similar growth trend already visible this December.
To meet this growing popularity, Lincolnshire-based brassica grower TH Clements, a major supplier to Tesco, has increased its growing volume by 20 per cent this year.
Red cabbage has long been a cornerstone european christmas dinnerParticularly in Germany, Denmark and Poland, where it is traditionally served as a sweet-and-sour, slow-cooked side dish.
It is often cooked with apples, onions, raisins etc. warming spices like cinnamon and cloves,
Tesco brassica buyer Simon Tenwick said that in Britain red cabbage had a “Marmite-type reputation, probably due to schoolchildren being told to eat their cabbage which was often boiled to death”.
However, he said demand for the vegetable has increased so much in recent years that it is considered a “mainstay of festival feasts”.
“It was always about Christmas dinner traditional centerpiece Garnished with roasted potatoes, carrots, sprouts and parsnips and maybe broccoli or cauliflower,” he said.
“Two years ago, we saw a slight increase in demand for red cabbage, but last year sales really took off, so much so that we believe the vegetable has now become a mainstay of the festive feast.
“As a result of this trend we have ordered more this year and also think that tasty side dishes can also become a staple alongside the traditional Sunday roast.”
John Moulding, commercial director of T H Clements, based near Boston, Lincolnshire, said red cabbage is “the hottest vegetable of the moment”.
TH Clements sold 600,000 more heads of cabbage in 2024 than in 2023, with the increased demand likely due to a wider trend of increased demand for brightly colored vegetables – linked to nutritional advice to “eat the rainbow”.
By eating fruits and vegetables of different colorsExperts say people are likely to get a good range of vitamins and minerals to maintain health and well-being.
Red cabbage has also been included in the dishes of celebrity chefs mary berry, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver And Nigella Lawson,
Mr Molding said: “Red cabbage is the vegetable of the moment and we have had to increase our planting program by 20 per cent to meet the extra demand.
“Sales have always been steady and we have occasionally seen spikes when the vegetable has been featured in TV chef recipes.
“But we have never seen such huge demand for any one vegetable as we are seeing right now for red cabbage.”