In good taste

Further to the excellent piece by Shân Ross regarding Scotland’s traditional foods (29 August), I can report that this year I grew Shetland cabbage in my allotment in Selkirk, having been given a few seeds by a friend.

It is tremendous stuff, grows like nothing you ever saw and has a superb taste. It is also resistant to many of the pests and diseases of conventional brassicas, but is best planted at double spacing due to its abundant outer leaf growth.

The purple-veined leaves are most attractive, and the best way to cook it is by steaming, adding sensible amounts of seasoning.

I intend to save seed from this excellent vegetable to use in future seasons. All I now need will be some Shetland Black Potato seed sets, perchance a North Ronaldsay sheep, although my fellow plotholders in the Bannerfield Allotment Association in Selkirk might object to the latter.

I applaud the Slow Food Movement and its Ark of Taste. It’s high time the people of Scotland are reunited with their food heritage and it might even serve to slow down the insidiously creeping advance of bland supermarket food.

Jim Bradley

Thornfield Terrace

Selkirk