British Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts
The Christmas-dinner sprout the British way: shredded sprouts stir-fried in butter with shallots and crumbled chestnuts, steamed tender, then turned in a little double cream with nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon.
Edited by JP Lambiase
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In Britain, sprouts belong to Christmas dinner rather than Thanksgiving, and chestnuts are their usual partner. Wikipedia says sprouts reached Britain by the 17th century (citing C. Anne Wilson's "Food and Drink in Britain", 1976:). Eliza Acton's "Modern Cookery for Private Families", first published in 1845 (Project Gutenberg has the 1855 edition), boils "these delicate little sprouts, or miniature cabbages" for eight to ten minutes and serves them on buttered toast, which she calls "the Belgian mode", or tossed in butter with pepper and salt, as in France. Acton also stews chestnuts and makes chestnut sauce and stuffing for the same winter table. Why sprouts and chestnuts ended up on the same plate at Christmas is not written down anywhere we could find; both are in season in December, and both were already Christmas foods. This version comes from Sainsbury's Magazine and its food writer Tamsin Burnett-Hall, who shreds the sprouts so they cook in minutes.
📖 Myth check: Did Oliver Cromwell Ban Mince Pies? →
Why it works the kitchen science
Shred, then stir-fry
Thin ribbons cook through in minutes, so the sprouts stay bright and sweet instead of turning gray and sulfurous the way long-boiled whole sprouts do.
A little cream and acid
Just enough cream to coat, sharpened by lemon and warmed by nutmeg, makes the dish rich without turning it into a soup; the chestnuts add a soft, sweet, nutty bite.
🧰 You'll need 5 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Appliances
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Tools
Step by step
- Step 1
Trim the sprouts and slice them thin with a knife or the slicing disc of a food processor.
- Step 2
Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook 5 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Step 3
Turn the heat to high. Add the shredded sprouts, chestnuts and another pinch of salt and stir-fry 5 minutes, until the sprouts are bright green.
- Step 4
Pour in the water and cook, stirring now and then, 4 to 5 minutes, until the water has boiled away and the sprouts are tender but still have some bite.
- Step 5
Pour in the cream, add the nutmeg and let it bubble 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until it coats the sprouts.
✓ What it should look like - Step 6
Take the pan off the heat, add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
British Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts
Serves 6 · about 4 cups · 35 min total
- 2 tbsp butter (25 g)
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 14 oz (400 g) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
- 3 1/2 oz (100 g, about 2/3 cup) cooked, peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed or jarred), crumbled
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (200 ml) water
- 2/3 cup (150 ml) heavy cream
- A pinch of ground nutmeg or mace
- A squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 tsp)
- Salt and black pepper
Equipment: Food processor, Wide saucepan, 12-inch skillet, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons
Method
- Trim the sprouts and slice them thin with a knife or the slicing disc of a food processor.
- Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook 5 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Turn the heat to high. Add the shredded sprouts, chestnuts and another pinch of salt and stir-fry 5 minutes, until the sprouts are bright green.
- Pour in the water and cook, stirring now and then, 4 to 5 minutes, until the water has boiled away and the sprouts are tender but still have some bite.
- Pour in the cream, add the nutmeg and let it bubble 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until it coats the sprouts.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Adapted from Sainsbury's Magazine, "Creamed Brussels sprouts with chestnuts" by Tamsin Burnett-Hall (serves 6 to 8; we call it 6), with metric amounts converted to US. British double cream is richer than American heavy cream; we use heavy cream. Acton's 1855 text is the history source. Sainsbury's Magazine. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Make-ahead: Sainsbury's Magazine says to finish steps 1 to 4 (its steps 1 and 2), cool, cover and chill. On Thursday, reheat with a splash of water and finish with the cream, nutmeg and lemon.
- Cooked chestnuts in pouches or jars save an hour of roasting and peeling.
- Add crisp bacon or pancetta if you want the American and British versions to meet in the middle.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Sprouts have always been part of British Christmas. Disputed: Wikipedia dates sprouts in Britain to the 17th century, but one search summary says they first appeared in a British cookery book in 1845, and we found no source for when they became a Christmas dish.
- Brussels sprouts and chestnuts is an ancient pairing. Folklore: we found no dated origin. James Beard wrote that it became a Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition in American states where chestnuts grew (search summary of the James Beard Foundation archive only).
- The Druids worshipped sprouts. Folklore, invented: the blogger behind "Notes from the UK" says he made it up as a joke (search summary only). Never use it as fact.
- Boil sprouts for 8 to 10 minutes. Documented as Acton's 1845 method; most cooks today cook them far less.
- Sprouts are Britain's most hated vegetable. Folklore: a 2008 brand survey said so (search summary only).
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