Britons love avocados on toast, in smoothies and as guacamole, yet many still find it difficult to choose ripe ones or keep them fresh. The World Avocado Organisation has shared useful tips on how to select, ripen and store the fruit properly.

Dr Kezia Joy, a registered dietitian nutritionist and medical advisor at Welzo, explained how to identify when an avocado is perfectly ripe. She said, “The closest you can come to testing ripeness is by applying gentle pressure at and near the stem. A ripe avocado will give a little when pressed, but it won’t feel mushy, indicating the flesh is creamy and ready to eat.” She added that “Hass avocados darken from green to purplish black when they’re ready to eat. If the area under the small stem cap is light green, it’s perfectly ripe, but if brown, it may be overripe.”

To pick the best avocado, look at the skin colour of the Hass variety, which darkens as it ripens, though some stay green. Gently press the fruit with your palm; it should yield slightly but not feel soft. Flick the stem. If the flesh underneath is green, the avocado is perfectly ripe.

Unripe avocados will soften naturally at room temperature within a few days. To ripen them faster, place them in a paper bag with a banana or apple to trap natural gases that help the process.

Dr Joy also advised how to keep avocados fresh once cut. She explained, “To avoid avocados browning once they’re cut, put them in an airtight container and cover with lemon or lime juice. The citric acid helps retain colour and texture for longer.” She added that keeping the pit in the unused half can help slow browning on the remaining flesh.

When cutting, slice the avocado crosswise around the pit for easier handling. Keep the pit in unused halves, store them face down in a cup, and cover tightly to slow browning. Applying lemon juice on the surface or wrapping the halves in cling film before refrigerating can help them stay fresh for up to three days.

For long-term storage, freeze ripe avocados whole, sliced or mashed to preserve their nutrients, including vitamins C, E and K.

Dr Joy highlighted that eating avocados regularly offers nutritional benefits. She said, “The monounsaturated fats in avocados promote heart health and help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. They are also rich in fibre, potassium and folate, which support digestion and heart health.”

The World Avocado Organisation also suggests creative ways to avoid waste. Pits can be boiled for tea, ground with honey into exfoliating scrubs, added to compost to enrich soil, or sprouted into new plants using toothpicks suspended over water.

Avocados can also replace traditional ingredients in cooking. They can stand in for mayonnaise in lighter sauces, butter in baking for added moisture, or cream in dairy-free desserts. Grilled slices can mimic meat, while mashed avocado can form the base of a silky chocolate mousse or ice cream.

These simple tips, supported by expert advice from Dr Kezia Joy and the World Avocado Organisation, help reduce waste and make avocados more versatile in everyday British meals while keeping their nutritional value intact.