Dutch exports of Brussels sprouts have hit a record high, according to new figures from the CBS national statistics office.

In 2008, the Dutch exported €32 million of the vegetables. In 2017, they sold €66 million, particularly to Germany, eastern Europe, Britain and Italy.

The sprout is traditionally eaten in the Netherlands only after the first frosts, and garnished with a hint of nutmeg.

But the country sells two thirds of its crop abroad.

Despite its recent flush of success, the sprout is still number two to the carrot, which is the Netherlands’ most farmed winter vegetable, says the CBS. But a loser in the vegetable stakes has been the leek, which has lost 11.4% of its field space in the last ten years.

‘In the longer term, there will be mostly less leek,’ predicted the CBS.