I know I’ve already done a tip for the week, but I didn’t do one last week, so consider this my sorry attempt to make amends. Actually, this silly little tip has been bashing about in my head for a while now – it’s irritating me and I want it gone and the only way that’s going to happen is if I accede to it’s wishes and write it down. So, (for mostly cathartic reasons) herewith another ridiculously simple, but really handy tip. If you already know it, then you’ll no doubt think I’m daft for posting on it because it’s one of those things that once you know how to do, you wonder if there was ever a time when you didn’t – it’s so simple and effective, you won’t believe that you ever did it any other way…

Okay, so now that the intro is longer than the actual post, herewith your step by step instructions on how to stone an avo (and no, I don’t mean get it high) with no mess and no fuss.

• Step 1: Cut the avo in half by inserting a sharp knife lengthwise into the avo and drawing it 360 degrees around the stone.
• Step 2: You now have two halves, one with a stone in, the other without. So here comes the fun part… Take the knife (and it really does have to be sharp, so don’t try this with a butter knife) and holding it as if you were going to throw it at someone, whack it down hard against the stone, so that the blade embeds itself into the stone – pretend the stone is someone you don’t like, or someone that really pissed you off (psycho women that let rip at me at Fournos on Sunday, I’m thinking of you…!)
• Step 3: Holding the avo half with your free hand, slightly twist and pull back on the knife and (if all goes according to plan and you didn’t accidentally chop your hand off) you should be left with two empty avo halves, and a knife with an avo stone stuck to it. So all you have to do is pull off the stone, chuck it away and voila, you are done! Easy eh?

By the way, as an aside, if you are going to use the avo on a salad, don’t waste your time peeling and slicing it (it just creates a green mushy mess) a much easier option is to use a teaspoon and to scoop out small chunks of avo (much like you would with an ice-cream scoop) and use the chunks instead. Nobody is going to think your salad is sloppy because you’ve got avo chunks instead of slices and, seriously, it’s a LOT easier and less messy… Which is always a Good Thing!