When I was a kid I hated spinach I can still hear my mother saying 'It's good for you all greens are good for you!' We used to get it served up at least three times a week, but now I am older and wiser I realise that she was so right and my taste buds are rather partial to it now.

It is full of iron and totally fat free, and it also provides us with Vitamins A C and K

Good old Popeye had the right idea he used to eat cans of the stuff but he would have been wiser to have eaten fresh because when cooked it can taste acidy but fresh leaves are sweet and really nice in a salad.

When buying Spinach check that it is nice and green if it is yellowing around the edges or getting a slimey film on it then it is starting to go rotten. I actually saw some for sale in a supermarket with special offer stickers all over the bags but it was rotten and funnily enough people were actually buying it.

It stays fresh for approximatley five days after it is picked so dont go buying tons of it at a time.

I have found that storing it in the bottom of the fridge without washing it helps it to stay fresher longer and then when I do want to use it I soak the leaves in cool water to get all the soil off.

When I cook it I try to boil it up quickly it only takes a minute I find that if I overcook it then it tastes tart but just right tastes nice and sweet. Now I know why I hated it so much as a kid my Mother used to boil vegetables for hours.

Steaming is a good way to get it just right I add it to the rest of the vegetables about two minutes before serving up but you do need quite a few leaves for one portion because it cooks down to almost nothing.

I add cooked spinach to lasagnes occasionally just for a different taste and parmasan cheese goes really well with this vegetable so it doesnt have to be boring. Another idea is to serve it with smoked haddock now that really brings a nice taste out.

Give it a go because it is so good for growing children and adults of course, cooked correctly it is a very tasty vegetable and very rich in vitamins.
I bought a bag yesterday enough for four servings and it cost me 79p, so that is good value for money.