Vegetable spread

Try it in a wrap with salad leaves, spread inside a toasted sandwich, or use a spoonful as a savoury filling for a baked potato. It also works as a dip for raw carrot, pepper and cucumber sticks.

Use it to finish a dish or add flavour to a sandwich filling rather than frying with it: many spreads contain oil and can split or become oily when heated. Stir a spoonful through hot pasta or vegetables just before serving.

Roast chopped aubergine, courgette and red pepper at 200 °C until soft and browned, about 25–35 minutes. Blend with a little olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning until spreadable; cool before refrigerating.

Keep it covered in the fridge and use a clean knife or spoon each time. Follow the pack’s storage instructions and use-by guidance; discard it if it develops mould, an unusual smell or a change in texture.

You can freeze it in a tightly sealed container, ideally in small portions. Thaw it in the fridge and stir well before using; the texture may become less smooth, so it is better for cooking or sandwich fillings than for serving as a dip.

Pair it with crusty bread, oatcakes or crackers, and add crunchy vegetables such as cucumber, radish or lettuce. A sharp ingredient such as pickled onion or a squeeze of lemon balances a rich, savoury spread.

Vegetable spread is usually thick enough to stay on bread, while a dip is made for scooping and is often softer. Per 100 g, vegetable dip has 355 kcal and 32.1 g fat, compared with 199 kcal and 17 g fat in vegetable spread.