AWARD-winning chocolatiers may have cracked the problem of brussel sprout hatred – by coating the widely-detested vegetables in chocolate.
A Scottish firm cooked sprouts in melted dark, mint-flavoured chocolate, forming a shell tasty enough to tempt the most determined brussel-hater.
The creation will be unleashed on the nation’s palettes this weekend as part of this year’s Winter Festival in Perth.
Chocolatier Ros Milligan, from Bathgate, West Lothian, tackled the tough challenge of making sprouts popular, particularly with their harshest critics – children.
Ros, owner of Decadently Pure, said: “I think they are quite nice but I was quite hungry when I ate them. Using mint masks the taste of the sprout I think.
“A lot seem to like the idea. I posted a picture of them on Facebook and lots of people were tagging their friends and going ‘look at this’.
 Opinions on the streets of Bathgate were generally positive.
Marietta Calder, 72, from Westfield, near Falkirk, said: “It is very nice, quite distinctive and I can really taste the chocolate.”
Jackie Hendrie, 58, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, said: “You can’t taste the brussel sprout, honestly not. It is lovely.”
But Dawn Drysdale, 28, from Bathgate, described the creation as “pretty strange”. Her daughter, four-year-old Kacie (corr), refused even to try one.
The chocolate sprouts will be available to try for free at the city’s Festival of Chocolate – part of the winter festival – this Saturday and Sunday.
Festival organiser Adeline Watson, organiser said: “I’m sure I won’t be the only person at the festival who is keen to find out how they taste.”
Other attractions include chocolate-infused red wine.
