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Do you still think of cabbage as that grey gluey mess on a childhood plate? Overcooked cabbage has been responsible for putting people off this delicious vegetable for life. But just one mouthful of cabbage the way it is supposed to be cooked, and this aversion can turn quickly to obsession.

The cabbage is a member of the brassica family, which includes those other childhood pet hates, broccoli, cauliflower and kohl rabi. Brassicas have been found to be healthy part of your regular diet, as they protect against a wide range of ailments. Cabbages are full of nutrients that boost your health. Once the broad leaves were even used very effectively as poultices on wounds.

The main rule of cooking cabbage is `as little as possible'. Cabbage should never be cooked until it dissolves into a slimy heap. This not only ruins the taste of cabbage, it ruins all the health benefits too, such as fiber and Vitamin C. There are three ways to present cabbage at its delicious best.

Raw: Coleslaw is getting to be a dirty word these days, the green backstop of so many fast food meals. That this commercial preparation fails to excite the taste buds is obvious from the half full tubs that are discarded, while the fried chicken and hamburgers are gobbled up. Forget the fast food, stay home and make your own coleslaw. Guarantee you will never want to buy another tub.

To make the best coleslaw, pick a fresh beautiful green cabbage, strip off the outer leaves and cut it into quarters. Cut out the woody stem, and finely shred the quarters with a very sharp knife. If these cabbage strips seem to big to you, you can cut the cabbage into eighths. You can grate the cabbage as well, but finely shredded adds texture and full flavor.

Now grate some fresh, unblemished carrots. The only thing you should need to do is wash the carrots. If the skin is so tough it needs peeling off, don't use these carrots for coleslaw. Put them in a stew instead. When you have a nice pile of grated carrots, tip it into the bowl with the shredded cabbage. You can stop there, but a few extra ingredients don't go astray. Try finely chopped tender white heart of celery, peeled and sliced radishes, or shallots. You can give coleslaw an Asian flavor with some chopped snow peas, bok choy or bean sprouts. To make it sweeter add chopped apple and raisins.

Herbs like dill, cilantro, mint and basil can also add regional flavor to your coleslaw. When you have the mix you want, add your mayonnaise, although a raw coleslaw mixture

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