by Alice Correia Morton

Avocados are the hipster ingredient du jour, present at every brunch and scattered over every instagrammed salad. But even if you’d usually steer clear of such fads, avocados still hold their own: they are highly nutritious, with over 20 vitamins and minerals, and a filling centrepiece for vegetarians and vegans. Unfortunately, they are undeniably expensive, usually £1 or more each. So when they’re reduced (now at 20p!), it is tempting to buy them in large quantities. The problem with this is that they are usually reduced when overripe. Suddenly your salad looks less appealing, mottled with squishy brownish green blobs. Instead, a neat solution is to turn them into guacamole.

Ingredients:

2 very ripe avocados
4 cherry tomatoes, chopped finely
1/2 a red onion, finely diced
Handful of fresh coriander
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp of dried chilli flakes (or less if you don’t want it too spicy)
Large pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a large bowl mash the avocado. Leave the stone in to prevent the mixture browning.
2. Fold in the finely diced onion and cherry tomatoes.
3. Finely chop (or cut with scissors) the stems of the coriander and add to the mixture.
4. Roughly chop the coriander leaves and mix these in too, leaving a bit to garnish.
5. Squeeze in the lime juice and mix thoroughly.
6. Add the chilli flakes and salt. Make sure the solid ingredients are evenly spread throughout.
7. Serve with bread, crackers, rice cakes, crisps etc.