Blue'eads

Mum was telling me today that these purple sprouting broccoli, which she grows in the vegetable patch at the bottom of her garden, were known as "blue'eads" by the Bedfordshire farmers when she was girl. The tips are as much of a delicacy as asparagus, and just need cooking gently in boiling water for a few minutes. We had some of them for supper with the courgette and tomato flan she made yesterday.