Smoothie

Pour in the liquid first, then add soft fruit and leafy greens, with frozen fruit or ice on top. This helps the blades catch the ingredients without repeatedly stopping to scrape down the sides.

Use frozen banana, mango or berries, or add a spoonful of oats or chia seeds and leave it for a few minutes to thicken. Ice can water down the flavour as it melts.

Yes. Keep it in a clean, airtight bottle in the fridge and drink it within a day; shake it well because the ingredients may separate. For a longer head start, freeze chopped fruit in portions and blend it when you want a smoothie.

Freeze it in a suitable container, leaving a little room for expansion, and thaw it in the fridge before shaking or blending again. You can also freeze leftover smoothie in an ice-cube tray and blend the cubes into your next one.

Blending keeps the fibre if you use the whole fruit and do not strain the mixture; the fibre amount is 1 g per 100 g. Juicing or sieving it removes some of the pulp and fibre.

Try oats, plain yoghurt, nut butter or silken tofu; they add body and make the drink more substantial. For a breakfast smoothie, banana, oats and yoghurt blend smoothly together.

A smoothie bowl is made thicker, often with frozen fruit and less liquid, so you can eat it with a spoon. Add toppings such as oats, seeds or sliced fruit just before serving so they stay crisp.