The humble Brussels sprout is the vegetable most associated with the Christmas season. Although some people consume the Belgian buds all year round, it's on Christmas Day that they end up on countless tables around the world. Not always the most popular vegetable, many cooks have nonetheless come up with novel, tasty ways of making the small green sprouts go down easier.

One group of scientists and engineers from The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair has come up with a truly unique way of utilising Brussels sprouts in the run-up to the festive season. Collecting 1,000 sprouts and connecting them together using zinc and copper electrodes, the team have managed to create a number of vegetable powered batteries.

The tiny reactions occuring between individual sprouts builds the batteries' power, and the resulting charge has been used to power the lights on an 8-foot tall Christmas tree. The tree is located along London's Southbank, and The Big Bang team say, "The ground-breaking use of sprouts highlights alternative ways to use the festive vegetable that over two thirds of children (68%) said they 'hate'".

The video below shows the Brussels sprouts 'generator' in action, as well as outlining the very simple technology behind the creation: