In the spotlight - Tomatoes

We all have those days when the kitchen cupboards are a bit bare and some creativity is needed to produce a meal. However, I find that as long as I have a tin of tomatoes and a few other ingredients, I'm sorted. The base for a soup, pasta sauce, curry, chilli, spag bol or stew, tinned tomatoes are a good way to bring a few ingredients together. They will keep for months in the cupboard, but I find that mine will never be there more than a fortnight. Fresh tomatoes are another must. Not only will they bulk out a sandwich or add a splash of colour to a salad, they are lovely roasted with other veg or as a bunch on the vine to accompany a meat, fish or veggie dish.

• Tomatoes are thought to have originated in Peru.
• If asked to name the world's most popular fruit, I bet you wouldn't have said the tomato, but it is!
• Whilst we are used to their red colour, tomatoes can be found in shades ranging from white all the way through to black, though you'd be hard pressed to find more than a yellow cherry tomato in most supermarkets.
• You might have heard of the pigment lycopene found in tomatoes. This antioxidant is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, notably prostate cancer. The lycopene content is higher in riper fruit and is most readily available when cooked, so tinned tomatoes, tomatoe puree and even ketchup are a good source. As lycopene is fat soluble, it's easier for the body to absorb when fat is present in a dish, so when cooking tomatoes add a little oil.
• For a non-foodie use, tomato ketchup is great for bringing up anything made of copper - the acids in the tomatoes remove the copper oxides that form on the surface, leaving the bright copper to shine.
• If you're after a bit of fun, head to Bunol in Spain. Here the annual "La Tomatina" festival is held, where participants throw an estimated 150,000 tomatoes at each other.

Speedy spiced tomato and carrot soup (serves 2)

• Chop an onion and brown in a little oil.
• Add a can of chopped tomatoes, a grated carrot, 1tsp ground ginger and 0.5tsp chilli powder.
• Simmer for 10mins, adding more liquid if required, then serve with some crusty bread.

Roasted Mediterranean veg (serves 4) - this makes a nice accompaniment to fish

• Peel and halve 4 red onions, quarter an orange and yellow pepper, and 2 courgettes.
• Place in a large bowl with 4 tomatoes and mix with 1tbsp oil and 2tbsp balsamic vinegar.
• Season with black pepper, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano and sage (or whatever green herbs you have in the cupboard).
• Place on a roasting tray in a pre-heated oven (200 degrees/gas mark 6) for 40mins, shaking half way through. 

In the spotlight - Papayas

Stuck for inspiration for a fruit to write about, a friend's mention of the word "paw paw" was all that was needed to get me going again.

• A native of Mexico and Central America, ripe papayas are traditionally served with a wedge of lime and a pinch of salt.
• When ripe they lend themselves well to fruit salads, sorbets, salsa and smoothies.
• Unripe papayas can be used to tenderise meat and can be used in curries, stews, soups and stir-fries.
• Their seeds have a hot peppery taste, which can be ground to give a kick to savoury dishes.
• If you've never had a papaya before, don't be daunted by how to prepare one. Simply cut a ripe papaya in half, scoop out the seeds, then scoop out the flesh.
• Papayas are rich in Vitamin C and Beta-carotene, but are best avoided if you have a latex allergy.

Spicy stuffed papayas

• Brown a chopped onion in a pan.
• Add a 400g can each of chopped tomatoes and lentils and 0.5tsp each of cumin, coriander and chilli. Stir well and simmer for a few mins.
• Meanwhile halve and deseed 4 papayas, then fill the middle of each half with the spicy lentil mix.
• Cook in a roasting tin or dish for approximately 30mins in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C (gas mark 4).

In the spotlight - Potatoes

I tried to think of a fruit or veg associated with Easter, but I was stumped. Perhaps a fruit to dip into left-over chocolate? But hang on, Easter eggs would never last that long as to be surplus chocolate. I had to admit defeat and went with the idea that a lot of people will be sitting down to a roast dinner over the weekend and that whatever you have on your plate, potatoes will nearly always feature.

Although potatoes don't count towards your 5 A Day - nutritionally they are more similar to bread and cereals - there's no disputing that they are a vegetable. And a very versatile veg at that - boil, mash, bake, roast, chip, wedge, sliced to top a hotpot, baby new potatoes in a salad or if you're after something fancier duchess or Dauphinoise potatoes. As they soak up flavours, they also make an excellent addition to soups, stews and curries.

• Potatoes originated in the Andes and did not make their way to the UK until the late 1500s, though were slow to catch on - people were initially sceptical, as they weren't mentioned in the Bible.
• In the UK the average potato consumption per year is 103Kg each. If you think that's a lot, the people of Ireland and Portugal eat more.
• Potatoes are very easy to grow, so if you want to get started with "grow your own", they're a good veg to begin with. So easy to grow that they can reach big proportions - a gardener in Nottinghamshire was confirmed last year as having grown the heaviest by the Guinness World Book of Records, reaching a whopping 8lb 4oz!
• Potatoes are a good source of Vitamin C, various B vitamins and fibre as long as the skin is eaten.
• Chips aren't as new as you might think - they appeared in a cookbook in 1854. And interestingly, fish and chips were never rationed during World War 2.
• Potatoes were the first food to be grown in space - in 1995 they were taken on board of the shuttle Columbia.

Potato salad with a difference

• Add 500g new potatoes to a pan and simmer for 15mins or until tender. Drain and return to the pan.
• Add 1tbsp each of wholegrain mustard, clear honey, olive oil and white wine vinegar to a small bowl. Mix well and add 4 chopped spring onions.
• Stir the dressing through the potatoes and serve as a side dish for any salad.

Aloo Jeera - an Indian side dish

• Add 500g new potatoes to a pan and simmer for 15mins or until tender. Drain and quarter.
• Heat 1tbsp oil and add 1tsp each of cumin, turmeric and curry powder.
• Add the potatoes back to the pan, season well and stir through, cooking for a few mins.
• Garnish with chopped corriander and serve with a curry.