Pawpaw and kiwifruit are great tenderisers. Try adding slices to meat before cooking.

To give strawberries extra flavour, try marinating them in balsamic vinegar and caster sugar for 2-3 hours.

Try freezing blueberries and fruit juice in ice cubes. They’re great for keeping summer fruit salads cold.

Try adding flavour to your kebabs by making them on rosemary skewers.

Keep cherries in the refrigerator but try to have them in a flattish container where they are not piled on top of each other or they will bruise easily and don’t wash them until you are ready to use them.

Apricots do not ripen after they have been picked so it is best to buy them ripe and eat straight away or kept cool at room temperature.

New Zealand dried apricots if you can find them are the best for taste. The plum Turkish ones look nice, but do not have the flavour. If making preserves with dried apricots – do not use the Turkish ones as they will not pulp up at all.

Asparagus begins to loose it’s flavour once it is cut so buy to use and do not store too long. If you are storing them keep in the vegetable drawer and wrap the stalk bases or ends in a damp paper towel so that they do not become too dehydrated.

Don’t drink wine with artichokes – they contain a chemical called cynarin which affects the taste buds, enhancing sweet flavours; stick to iced water.

Prepare onions as close to cooking or serving time as possible, since the flavour deteriorates over time. Onions can be boiled, sauteed, grilled, caramelised, roasted or preserved as a pickle or savory jam. When pan-frying or sauteeing onions, cook over a moderate heat, as they take longer than expected to soften. While most recipes say to cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. In reality it takes at least double that time. Cooked over a high heat, onions will burn and become bitter, if this happens, discard them and start again as you will taint your dish with bitter notes.