AVOCADO — FOUR WEEKS

WhILE you might be tempted to call it a vegetable, the avocado is technically a fruit (specifically, a single-seeded berry). It is also hugely popular, with sales soaring to £128 million last year in the UK. It is popular with millennials and the health-conscious, who mash it on toast or blend it into smoothies. But avocados have to be perfectly ripe, which is a challenge for the supermarkets.

Avocados eaten in the UK follow the seasons, coming from Spain, Israel, California, Peru and South Africa. they are harvested unripe, when they are still hard. once picked, they will be water-cooled, then stored at between 5c and 12c and kept for up to four weeks.

When they are ready to be sold, ripening can be boosted using ethylene gas. to ripen avocados at home, keep them at room temperature. to accelerate the process, put them in a brown paper bag with a banana or an apple.