In the summer, my local Budgens often has mangoes on special offer. My whole family loves mangoes, but I was reluctant to buy them, or once bought would procrastinate over preparing them, because they are difficult to cut up. So, naturally, when the same shop had this little gadget for £1.50 each, I had to give it a go.

To use the gadget, you hold it at the end of your mango, so the oval is the same orientation as the mango. It sounds complicated - and I had never realised that mangoes weren't spherical! However, despite my misgivings, my first mango was perfectly stoned, and so has every mango I've bought since. The fruit really is shaped like the stoner, making it super easy to use.

Once you've lined up your cutter, you just gently push it down through the fruit, and are left with three bits - two outers, with the flesh and no stone, and one stone with a couple of small pieces of flesh on the ends. Those are cooks perks, at least in my house. The other parts can be removed from the skin by simply running a sharp knife between flesh and skin (I use a grapefruit knife) or by scoring into cubes and pushing upwards, which is very decorative for parties.

Then you pop it in the dishwasher and it's sparkling for the next time.


All in all, extremely easy to use, easy to clean, and we're eating a lot more mangoes.