Not just for Christmas

Possibly an unseasonal title for this post, but it was inspired by my last supermarket visit. One of the items on my shopping list was Brussel sprouts. As I was picking the loose sprouts another customer came up closer than I was comfortable with. Apparently the hard stare, was actually an invitation for them to start commenting on my food choices. They 'jokingly' looked at the sprouts and said 'I thought they were just for Christmas', when I didn't respond, they continued 'I suppose they're for any time of year'. I moved away and continued my shopping but the interaction stayed with me. 

There seems to be a lot of aspects of a seemingly casual interaction for me to unpick. Part of me feels uncomfortable for not engaging in conversation. It's entirely possible that the other customer was lonely, possibly the trip to the supermarket is their only social contact and my apparent rudeness contributed to their further isolation. On the other hand I may have been more open to conversation if they hadn't been trying to initiate it while standing too close. I also feel, possibly unreasonably, that commenting on a stranger's food choices is a rather intrusive way to start a conversation. If social interaction wasn't complicated enough in the Before Times, the pandemic has certainly added a whole other level of social expectations to negotiate and judge myself on.

Anyway, that's a rather lengthy way of saying the brussels are most certainly not just for Christmas. In this case they were destined for a rather indulgent crispy sprout and artichoke gratin with lemon and blue cheese from my favourite 'The Green Roasting Tin' (seriously when can I start claiming commission?). Start by halving the sprouts and putting in the roasting tin with jarred artichokes, oil from the jar, single cream and lemon juice. Top with crumbled blue cheese (a hard blue cheese like stilton or Danish blue). Finish with breadcrumbs, I  used fresh breadcrumbs made from brown bread. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with toast (in my case medium sliced standard brown bread toast).

The cream and cheese combination is luxurious, while the sprouts give some semblance of healthy eating. The photo doesn't really do it justice, as I only decided to blog after eating the first portion, and reheated leftovers don't look quite as appetising but were still tasty.

As restrictions ease I suspect navigating social expectations will become increasingly complicated. Hopefully we can all comfort and nourish ourselves through the changes with tasty food which make the shopping trips worth the effort and stress.