Bananas will stay fresh for 6 months without going brown if stored in one kitchen spot

They're one of Britain's most popular fruits, a handy vitamin enriched pick-me-up and a versatile dessert ingredient. But even in our moderate climate, bananas have a habit of going off suddenly and aggressively, going from green and unripe straight to brown and mushy with barely a sweet spot in between.

That's why food experts have come up with all sorts of tips and tricks to keep bananas ripe for longer without going black.

And BBC Good Food's method of keeping bananas fresh and edible for 6 months surely takes the (banana) cake.

The food website says bananas will stay fresh and usable for 6 months if you store them in one kitchen spot: the freezer.

Yes, it turns out you can freeze bananas for six months - and you can use them straight from the freezer without any messing about.

Good Food says: "Freezing bananas is a great way to avoid binning a bunch of over-blackened ones. There are a couple of great tips to help you freeze bananas in a way that makes them most convenient to use in the future.

"It may be tempting to just throw a banana straight into the freezer with the skin on, but freezing this way makes it tricky to use the banana as the peel is difficult to take off in when frozen. When frozen correctly, bananas can be used straight away. Always use bananas that are fresh. Bananas in the freezer will be at their best within six months."

To freeze whole bananas, peel them and put them onto a tray and into the freezer until they're solid.

Then transfer into a labelled freezer bag, removing any excess air before you seal it up.

If you prefer, you can slice them up first. Cut them into half-inch thick slices and then repeat the same process.

If your bananas have already gone a bit brown, the best way to save them is to mash them first, then freeze them in freezer bags in the same way. You can then use the mashed banana for anything from yoghurt to porridge instead of having to throw them away.