I hear there is a shortage of Brussels sprouts this year. I will not be at the front of the queue of people weeping and wailing over the demise of this vegetable.

Of course I accept that some misguided individuals actually like the sprout, though for the life of me I can’t see why.

It’s possible, of course, that any chance of my being one of those was ruined at an early age. I remember them as being a rather soggy unpalatable mess floating in a greyish liquid.

I was encouraged to eat them by being told they were ‘fairy cabbages’ – but I didn’t like cabbage either.

In this day of lightly cooked vegetables I’ve tried the ‘modern crunchy sprout’ , but it still tasted like a cross between a piece of cardboard and the moss you find growing on the roofs of houses. And don’t talk to me about the smell!

The British Sprout Growers’ Association says the Christmas sprout is under threat because of water-logged fields and high winds damaging the plants.

I just hope the parsnip has survived all this pounding. Now THERE’S a proper Christmas vegetable.