Ingredient: Banana

When you go travelling to Asia or Africa you will find bananas in all sorts of sizes but the type that you buy in the shops everywhere else is pretty universally called the Cavendish banana, first propagated in 1834 by Duke William George Spencer Cavendish.

Bananas are always in my shopping trolley as they are such a powerhouse of nutrition. They are packed with potassium which helps leg cramps and is important for heart health and regulates blood pressure. Bananas also contain vitamin C for immunity and vitamin B6, which can become depleted when we get busy and stressed.

As well as eating bananas whole, you can slice them onto granola and yoghurt, stir into porridge with peanut butter, blend to make smoothies and ice lollies, and bake into muffins. They are soft and easy to eat, so they are suitable for weaning babies all the way up to toothless grandparents!