Despite an Irish predilection for boiling the bejaysus out of the poor vegetable, it is wonderful raw in salads or lightly steamed and stir-fried to preserve its delicate flavours.

Jill Dupleix's recipe below is recommended for turning a cabbage hater into a cabbage lover: "Buy the smallest, brightest and heaviest cabbage you can find, cook it quickly and serve in a vinaigrette with cumin seeds."

Jill Dupleix's cabbage with cumin Serves 4-6 One small, tight Savoy cabbage 1/2 tsp salt One tbsp olive oil One tbsp white vinegar One tsp caster sugar Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Two tsp cumin or caraway seeds Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Trim the base of the cabbage but don't cut out the entire core as this will hold the wedges together. Cut the cabbage in half from top to bottom and then cut each half into three equal wedges. Discard the outer leaves that aren't up to scratch.

Add the salt to the boiling water and cook the cabbage wedges for five to 10 minutes or until they start to soften. Drain them well, upside down in a colander.

Whisk the olive oil, wine vinegar, sugar, sea salt and pepper together in a bowl to make a vinaigrette. Arrange the cabbage on a serving platter and spoon over the vinaigrette.

Scatter with cumin or caraway seeds and serve.