Cabbages

British grown with some Dutch imports of winter whites.

All are varieties of brassica of which the leaves are eaten, either fully developed and separate or still packed together in tight globes. Green are just ordinary cabbages, with Savoy being a particularly good winter variety. Red and white are hard balls of very closely packed leaves suitable for shredding into salads (especially white in coleslaw) as well as cooking.

Spring greens – actually now available all year, so perhaps more properly just called greens – are unhearted cabbages. Collards is another name. Tops are the loose leaves from young plants (especially Brussels and turnips). For greens and tops, buy much more than it looks as if you will need, then use only healthy leaves, cutting off all the tough, stringy stalks. Cook, covered, for a few minutes in briskly boiling salted water, drain, then toss in a frying pan with hot butter or good olive oil in which, perhaps, you have softened some finely chopped garlic. Season with lots of black pepper and maybe a little grated lemon zest.