Fury as council tells residents to only eat six Brussels sprouts with Christmas dinner

Leicestershire Council: 'Only eat six sprouts on Christmas'
PA Archive/PA Images
Ella Wills18 December 2017

A council has told people not to eat more than six Brussels sprouts with their Christmas dinner.

As part of a campaign to cut down waste, Leicestershire County Council tweeted: "Six sprouts = one portion. Don't overbuy and they won't go to waste."

But the move sparked outcry from people on social media, who accused the authority of "totalitarianism" and acting like a "nanny state".

The council was hit by a slew of responses, gifs and memes mocking the suggestion.

Leicestershire County Council tweeted that six sprouts is an appropriate portion for Christmas

One person wrote: "State approved portions of food. Have a merry totalitarian xmas everyone!"

Another wrote: "Councils need to focus on collecting bins and fixing street lamps, not offering this mind boggling dull and irrelevant nanny state drivel."

The tweet, which was posted on Saturday, also brought on Brexit-related responses as a man wrote: "If we want to leave Brussels we will."

Meanwhile others joked about whether the council would be enforcing the guidelines.

Natasha Rossiya tweeted: "Are you going to prosecute Leicestershire residents if they have seven or, heaven forbid, eight sprouts? Will there be a 'Sprout Officer' (circa 42k per annum)?"

And then there was outrage from those who felt six was not a large enough portion.

Richard Nichols said: "What! Six! No way is that a portion on a normal day, let alone for an Xmas meal!!"

"Don't be silly I have at least 18," added Peter.

While the council had been intending to encourage reducing food waste in the home, one person wrote: "Brussels sprouts have fantastic health properties, it's a shame you are telling people to limit the quantity they buy and eat.

"Maybe suggest recipes for using leftovers?"

A council spokeswoman told the Leicester Mercury: "We send out thousands of tweets, including messages about food waste, and sometimes we get it wrong.

"We want residents to enjoy every aspect of Christmas Day, including the sprouts!

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