A salad isn’t a salad without avocado in my book — it adds a certain creaminess nothing else matches — and my steamed veggies are often accompanied by a chopped avocado, drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with lemon juice and sea salt.

Recently, on Radio 4’s The Food Programme, I discussed the nutritional benefits of the avocado with Elizabeth Luard, an authority on its culinary history. Avocados came from Central America and there are close to 500 varieties — from the Hass, the most well known, to Bacon, Gwen and Sutano — and uses. The presenter, Sheila Dillon, and I were soon drooling over Luard’s recipes, one of which I’ve included below.

Avocados don’t deserve the bad press they receive in the slimming magazines (half an avocado can hit the 170 calorie mark, so dieters are warned off). They are certainly rich in fat, but if you use them in a salad their creaminess means you need less olive oil. And if you mix a chopped avocado with a little olive oil and lemon juice and use it as a salad dressing, you’ll feel satiated after eating a small amount— much better than having a dull salad in a low-calorie dressing.

The psychological effect of eating diet products means you’re likely to rebel and eat again later; if you eat proper food, you feel treated and satisfied. In any case, avocados contain mainly monounsaturated fat (the rest being mainly polyunsaturated), which can help to lower LDL — bad cholesterol.

Avocados contain folate, a B vitamin needed for cell division and blood-cell formation(a poor intake of folate can increase the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida). They also contain potassium, which maintains the body’s water balance; vitamin E, an antioxidant that slows ageing and helps protect against certain types of cancer and heart disease; lutein, also an antioxidant, which can protect against eye diseases, such as cataracts; and finally, beta-sitosterol, a plant compound that can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol and helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.

In fact, for those watching their cholesterol, avocado mashed with a little lemon juice, a tiny dash of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, can be a delicious topping for a jacket potato instead of butter, and is wonderful in a sandwich made with fresh wholemeal bread, roast chicken and watercress.

Eating an avocado at the right time is important. Avoid them if they’re rock-hard or overripe. And don’t buy them if the skin is brown in places, a sign that the flesh will be damaged. To test for ripeness, gently squeeze the stalk end. If it gives slightly, it’s ready. Supermarkets often sell them unripe, so wrap them in newspaper and put them in a warm, dark place until r eady.

Jane Clarke answers your questions in T2 on Tuesdays. Send e-mails to Jane.Clarke@thetimes.co.uk; www.janeclarke.com

Jane cannot enter into personal correspondence

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Avocado soup

Elizabeth Luard’s recipe serves four

2 large, or 3 small, ripe avocados
½ cucumber
1 green pepper, deseeded
1 green chilli, deseeded
1 Spanish onion, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
565ml cold, pure water
Small bunch coriander
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 tsp salt
Serve with 125ml sour cream, sea salt and
1 lime, quartered

Skin, halve and stone the avocados and set aside. Roughly chop the cucumber, pepper, chilli, onion and garlic, put in a blender with the water and process thoroughly. Strain, pressing well to extract all the juices. Return the strained liquid to the blender with the avocado flesh, coriander leaves (save a few for decoration), lime or lemon juice and a little salt. Purée and adjust seasoning. Serve chilled, topped with a dollop of sour cream, a few coriander leaves and a pinch of salt with the quarters of lime.

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