Lady finger or sugar banana

The peel turns yellow and the fruit smells sweet; a few brown speckles are fine. The flesh should yield slightly when you press it gently, without feeling mushy.

They are often eaten fresh, but ripe ones work well in banana fritters: slice them lengthways, dip in batter and fry until golden. You can also grill peeled halves until lightly browned.

Yes. Mash very ripe fruit into the batter; its sweetness and soft texture suit banana bread, muffins and pancakes. Because they are small, mash enough to match the amount of banana your recipe calls for.

Keep unripe bananas at room temperature until the peel turns yellow. Once ripe, eat them soon or refrigerate them; the peel may darken, but the flesh usually stays usable.

Yes. Peel them first, then freeze them whole or sliced in a sealed container. Use the frozen pieces for smoothies or let them thaw for baking.

Lady finger bananas are usually shorter and slimmer, with a sweet, fragrant flavour; Cavendish bananas are larger and more widely sold. Lady finger bananas provide 3 g of fibre per 100 g, compared with 2.2 g in Cavendish bananas.

“Lady finger” and “sugar banana” are names used for small, sweet banana types, but names can refer to different varieties in different places. They are not a separate botanical species from other bananas.