Once upon a time, avocado was synonymous with old-fashioned bathrooms decorated in an unflattering shade of green. But in recent years, this soft, smooshy fruit (yes, it's a fruit) has become either a tasty breakfast staple or a slightly tired breakfast cliché, depending on your point of view. In Amsterdam, there's an entire restaurant dedicated to avocados. In London, there's one where they're banned for being "boring."
But now the creamy and versatile avocado - maker of guacamole, topper of toast - looks set to become less affordable. The BBC reports that wholesale avocado prices have now reached a record high because of growing global demand - let's face it, we're guilty as charged - and relatively poor harvests in three key avocado-producing regions, Mexico, Peru, and California. In fact, one leading Mexican wholesaler is now selling 10kg boxes of Hass avocados for £21.78, more than double last year's price.
Now, you don't need to be an economics expert to realise that sooner or later, this price rise is likely to be passed on to us, the consumer, next time we pick up a couple of ripe avocados at the supermarket. But if it does become more of a luxury item, allow us to recommend these hacks that will help you make the most of every avocado you buy.