Beetroot juice

Scrub and trim raw beetroot, then cut it into pieces small enough for your juicer. With a blender, blend it with a little cold water and strain through a fine sieve or clean cloth; add lemon or apple to soften its earthy flavour.

Keep freshly made juice in a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge and drink it within two days; it separates as it stands, so shake it before pouring. Once opened, keep shop-bought juice refrigerated and follow its storage instructions.

Apple, orange, lemon and ginger all balance its earthy taste. For a savoury drink, mix it with tomato juice, lemon and black pepper; it also works in a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary-style drink.

Yes: stir a little into soup, sauces or risotto near the end of cooking for colour and a mild earthy flavour. Add it gradually, as prolonged boiling dulls its bright colour.

Only when the recipe needs liquid or colour: juice can tint a dressing, soup or cake batter, but it cannot replace the bulk or texture of chopped or grated beetroot. Reduce other liquids slightly if you add juice to a batter.

Juicing removes most of the beetroot’s fibre: beetroot has 3.31 g of fibre per 100 g, compared with 0.2 g in beetroot juice. Juice is easy to drink quickly, while whole beetroot adds texture and fibre to a meal.

Its fine beetroot particles settle out of the liquid, especially in freshly made, unfiltered juice. Shake or stir it before drinking; separation by itself is normal.