How to cook Avocado

Add sliced avocado to a chicken sarnie, or roughly mash with lemon juice and spring onion for a simple guacamole – you could also add some finely sliced fresh chilli and a good zing of citrus zest. A squeeze of lemon juice will also keep freshly made guacamole a good bright green colour for longer. Blitzed avocado works really well in ice cream and other dessert recipes – it has gorgeous, silky texture thanks to its fat content.

HOW TO PREPARE AVOCADO

READ: 5 ways with avocado

WHAT IS AN AVOCADO?

Avocados are eaten like vegetables, but are technically a fruit because they have a seed inside. They are part of the laurel plant family, which also includes the bay tree.

WHEN ARE AVOCADOS IN SEASON?

Avocados are available all year round.

HOW TO STORE AVOCADOS

Avocados should be kept at room temperature before you cut them, but then transfer to the fridge after that. If you’re only using half an avocado, keep the half with the stone in, as the stone helps to prevent discolouration. Squeezing a little lemon juice over the avo also helps it stay greener for longer.

What are the health benefits?

Full of good stuff, avocados contain vitamins E & B6, and are also a good source of unsaturated fat, which can help us protect our hearts by maintaining levels of good cholesterol, and reducing levels of bad cholesterol. Just half an avocado counts as one of your 5-a-day (one portion of veg or fruit is 80g raw weight).