Sprout of the ordinary?

★ WE'RE forever being told to chuck more fruit and veg in our trolleys.

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"Five portions a day," they've been telling us for decades. Some experts now say it needs to be twice that amount.But what if we panic buy, and end up with more than we can possibly eat?

A terrible waste? Not necessarily.

★ There are countless weird suggestions for alternative everyday uses, from washing your hair with potato juice, to stuffing Brussels sprouts in your shoes. Here MIKE WARD bravely puts some of them to the test...

TOMATOES ON MY FACE TO TREAT SUNBURN

CLAIM: Chilled squashed tomatoes are great for soothing the inflammation caused by sunburn, thanks to their acidity and antioxidants.

VERDICT: They do feel quite pleasant, up to a point - that point being the moment the juice gets in your eyes and stings like hell. Also, ironically, they temporarily make you look like a burns victim.

PEAS AS A SPIRIT LEVEL

CLAIM: Peas are spherical-ish, so if you put them on an uneven surface, they'll roll.

VERDICT: Utterly useless. I laid some along the top of a picture frame which I then tilted at an ultra-wonky angle. The peas just sat there like morons.

CHILLED CUCUMBER SLICES ON EYES

CLAIM: The cold moisture will make my eyes look less puffy.

VERDICT: Amazing! I've always had unsightly bags under my eyes but thanks to this soothing old cucumber trick, people can no longer see them. I guess they might if I ever decide to take the slices off again, but I have no current plans to that effect.

POTATOES TO WASH MY HAIR

CLAIM: The juices squeezed from a raw peeled potato can clean and strengthen my hair.