They called avocados the ‘Fruit of the Gods’ while today dieticians and nutritionists praise their properties as a superfood whose numerous, natural attributes include helping reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

The first mention in Britain of avocados was in 1672 when W H Hughes, the royal physician to King Charles II, tasted the fruit in Jamaica and proclaimed “this is one of the most rare and pleasant fruits of the island. It nourishes and strengthens the body”.

More recently, the avocado came into its own in the 1970s when plentiful supplies were seen in Britain for the first time. John H. Kellogg, the prominent expert in cereal nutrition, became an avocado advocate “...of all edible fruits, it stands pre-eminent as a source of concentrated nourishment...and for purity, wholesomeness and ease of digestibility and versatility there is no better fruit,” he said.

Others agree, from the Guinness Book of Records which states that avocados are “the most nourishing of all fruit that are commonly eaten raw”, to health expert Gillian McKeith: “These contain 14 minerals, all of which regulate body functions and stimulate growth”.