Even if you are planning to fry or bake the celeriac later, parboiling it first for 5 or 10 minutes in acidulated water will soften its raw edge.

NPR: The Vegetable World's Ugly Duckling: Celeriac

The election of a Labour government might be expected to have taken some of the edge off North-Eastern alienation, and so to soften the drive for regional government.

ECONOMIST: The North-East