If you’re the kind of person who feels a sense of dread when there are potatoes to peel, onions to dice and herbs to chop, there are several things you can do. First, make sure your knife is razor-sharp; this will turn exhausting work that’s hard on your wrists into a ninja-like exercise in which your blade slices through ingredients like butter. Second, read our collection of guides on prepping almost every kind of vegetable. Everything from properly chopping an onion to removing the inedible parts of an artichoke is covered, taking you from novice to pro in a matter of minutes.

There’s no need to fear the mandoline, wonder about the best way to prepare fennel or worry whether you’re cutting an avocado correctly; just take a look at our guides below and you’ll soon see prepping vegetables is an absolute doddle. There’s even a video tutorial on how to slice cucumber, so you can double check the skills you already have against those of Britain’s greatest chefs.