Brussels sprouts are proving divisive at Christmas time once again.
Morrisons has been mocked after it re-christened the leafy vegetable loved or loathed on dinner tables everywhere to names including 'Yorkshire sprouts.'
Some claimed the move to rename the sprouts based on their counties of origin was aimed at appealing to the tastes of Brexit Britain.
But the supermarket chain has denied the accusations it changed the names of the leafy Christmas dinner vegetable to appeal to shoppers who don't like the EU.
Instead, Morrisons said it had swapped the name 'Brussels' for the UK counties where its sprouts were sourced because customers liked to know where their food came from.
However some social media users were convinced it had stripped the sprouts of the Belgian city's name to appease Brexiteers, after they spotted the store selling packaging marketing "Yorkshire sprouts," "Lincolnshire sprouts," and "Scottish sprouts."
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The debate appears to have originated with a tweet from Leavers Britain director and Yorkshire and the Humber MEP Lucy Harris, who wrote: "Pretty cool that @Morrisons is replacing 'Brussels' with the sourced county."
Others were not so impressed, with Mario Van Poppel tweeting: "Hey @Morrisons about the Yorkshire sprouts, does that mean there's a Brussels pudding somewhere in your aisles?"
Some suggested they would be boycotting the supermarket.
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Anna Schiffer tweeted: "Your renaming of Brussels sprouts to 'Yorkshire' sprouts would seem to be a political statement (there can be no other reason for it). That is your marketing decision, but please be sure that, as a result, I will no longer be supporting you."
Others compared the move to the Americans renaming French Fries 'Freedom Fries' after France opposed its forces' invasion of Iraq in 2003.
David Whitely tweeted: "We gleefully made fun of Americans for inventing Freedom Fries but we now stand and tearfully sing God Save the Queen in Morrison’s when we see a packet of Yorkshire Sprouts. What’s next, New Forest Cake? Frimton Onion Soup? Tweedish Meatballs?"
The sprouts in question are widely thought to have originated in Ancient Rome before they began being cultivated in the region now known as Belgium around the 13th century, before taking the country's capital's name.
A spokesperson for Morrisons denied claims the name-changes were related to Britain leaving the EU.
They told the New European : "Many of our customers are interested in knowing where their food comes from. Our Lincolnshire sprouts are called Lincolnshire sprouts because they are from Lincolnshire.
"Our Yorkshire sprouts are called Yorkshire sprouts because they are from Yorkshire. Many of our customers like to know that."
Today, the UK grows its own Brussels sprouts, and imports the bulk of its off-season produce from the Netherlands.
In recent days, Government figures showed global demand for the £1.5 million British-grown cropss have grown by almost 40 per cent, proving particularly popular in the sprouts-hungry Netherlands.
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