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DEAR DEIDRE: EVER since I had to have surgery on a broken arm as a child, I’ve had a phobia of needles. I’m 33 now.

When I was coming round from the anaesthetic, I had a needle in the back of my hand.

I could see how long it was under my skin.

I was freaked out but a nurse said that I would have to wait for the doctor to have it removed.

I watched it coming out and my phobia began.

I can’t even look at needles on the TV and refuse to have any blood tests or injections.

This fear has steadily worsened over the years and I constantly worry that if I end up in hospital I won’t be able to cope with any injections.

I would love to be able to freeze my eggs to become a mum one day, but I feel like my chances are slim because of this fear.

I am desperate for help but nobody seems to be able to give me any advice on how to get over this.

DEIDRE SAYS: Needle phobias are fairly common, and there are things that can assist you.

Hypnotherapy can help people to overcome their phobias.

If you ever need an injection or a blood test, ask them to prescribe some Emla cream which numbs your arm, so you won’t feel the jab.

Listening to music on headphones will help to distract you too.

My support pack Fears And Phobias explains more.

A BRITISH man has been killed in a massive avalanche at a ski resort in the French Alps.

The 55-year-old died after being swept away by an avalanche in an off-piste sector in the Chamonix valley, at the foot of Mont Blanc.

The tragedy unfolded on Tuesday afternoon at Grand Montets, Argentiere.

The victim was discovered at 4.35pm by members of the ski patrol, cops said.

As they were preparing to close the slopes for the day, they noticed an avalanche stretching two-thirds of a mile down the slope.

While inspecting the area they discovered the victim’s elbow, which had not been completely buried.

Medics were flown on to the mountain by helicopter but, tragically, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rescuers scoured the area for two hours in search of other possible victims.

The prefecture of the Haute-Savoie said in a statement: “A very large avalanche occurred in the Grands Montets ski area, in the Herse sector.

“Due to very unfavorable weather conditions and the significant risk of a second avalanche, the rescue operation was halted late in the evening.

“The checks carried out confirm a provisional assessment of one victim.”

The mountain police said: “The victim was a 55-year-old man of English origin.

“The reasons for the triggering of this kilometre-long and 400-metre-wide flow are currently unknown and an investigation is underway.”

Local reports said the man was skiing his 11th descent from the Herse chairlift.

The avalanche risk was rated on the European Avalanche Danger Scale as four out of five, meaning ‘high’.

Strong winds in the afternoon led to the closure of the mountain’s highest lift, the Bochard gondola.

The prefecture urged skiers to “imperatively respect the precautionary instructions given by the resorts and public services”.

Getty - Contributor

The Argentière Glacier in the French Alps (stock)[/caption]

0 Огірок — це один із найбільш здорових і популярних овочів. До його складу входять різні мінеральні речовини, вітаміни й антиоксиданти. “Огірок малокалорійний. Високий вміст калію, кремнію і цинку робить його профілактичним засобом для догляду за здоров’ям шкіри і волосся”, — зазначила вона. Харчова цінність огірка передусім обумовлена високим вмістом: лютеїну і зеаксантину — речовин, […]

THE average mum spends almost three years of her life cooking for the family.

If you’re forever cutting up veg, an electric food chopper could be your saviour.

Edward Moss

When making a family staple like a hearty stew, hand-dicing the ingredients can take as long as 30 minutes.

But an electric chopper could do it in less than a minute.

Nikki Watkins tests out seven, with prices from £8.99, and marks them out of five to reveal which are a cut above . . . 

• It’s important not to exceed the recommended size for the pieces of food you cut up. This varies by model.

VONSHEF 400W MINI CHOPPER

£22.99, vonhaus.com

Edward Moss

SMART and stylish, this was extremely simple to set up and the base is non-slip, so you feel your ingredients are in safe hands.

It is great at chopping, too, with a powerful 400W motor.

But when chopping small items like garlic, the blades are not low enough to reach the bottom.

This left the garlic only slightly chopped, which might frustrate a more professional cook.

Another setback is that the 500ml capacity bowl has grooves inside, making it tricky to get the chopped veg out.

The booklet is very helpful, with lots of measurements for certain produce.

Mushrooms are not one of the veg they list, so I thought I would use the guidelines for onions – that states 200g as the max to add to the bowl.

But putting in just 30g of mushrooms, even when processed to a tiny size, there were still big chunks left.

The less you put in the better the result, but this doesn’t make it the most practical for cooking meals like a family-sized stew, that needs about 250g of mushrooms.

Sadly the removable parts cannot be put in the dishwasher.

2/5

RUSSELL HOBBS FOOD COLLECTION MINI CHOPPER

£19, dunelm.com

Edward Moss

MY least favourite model looks-wise – I found the white plastic and bright green button a little garish.

And it’s not dishwasher-friendly, meaning you have to hand-wash the removable parts.

The instruction booklet even recommends you clean the inside with a toothpick, which is a little more admin than I have time for during the post-dinner rush.

But this 500ml-capacity model had the best booklet of all tested, with recipes that sparked creativity for when I have a little more time.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the easiest to set up – it took me a long time to figure out how to line up the parts.

Unless it is all perfectly in line, it won’t work, which I am sure is a necessary safety feature.

Although the veg was chopped nicely at the end, it took quite a few presses as this model is less powerful than the rest, with a 70w motor.

It was also tricky to scrape out the veg, particularly garlic.

In fact, it might be easier to chop it by hand.

1/5

AMBIANO MINI CHOPPER

£8.99, Aldi

Edward Moss

THIS was simple to put together, and for less than a tenner, it’s impressive.

It is one of the smaller models, with a 350ml-capacity mixing bowl, but for such a bargain price tag it did a brilliant job.

Coming in black, white and a trendy green option that looks surprisingly chic, you can co-ordinate your gadget with your kitchen.

An added bonus is that the chopper’s matte finish doesn’t show grubby fingerprints, which shiny plastic versions can do.

The booklet didn’t recommend sizes or weights of veg to add, so I chopped a large 80g onion into sixths and made sure the quantity was below the max line.

I would recommend reducing this amount to 60g as some was left unchopped – the same with mushrooms.

If you don’t want to spend a lot on a fancy machine, this does the job and looks neat and tidy on the kitchen counter, too.

Unfortunately this is not dishwasher safe. But as it is so small it wouldn’t take long to throw in the washing up bowl.

3/5

GEORGE MINI CHOPPER

£10, asda.com

Edward Moss

THE big plus with this machine is its appealing price point, it’s great value at £10.

Having said that it was fiddly to set up and I had to study the manual very carefully to see where I was going wrong.

Also, I wasn’t happy with the plug cord, which seems to want to go underneath the machine, which makes it feel a bit wobbly.

There were no recommended measurements of produce given in the booklet with this, so I quartered four mushrooms which the machine chopped beautifully, leaving only a small bit uncut.

But then, after taking the lid off to shake the chopped mushrooms out, I was back to square one working out how to set it up again.

Once I got it working, it blitzed an 80g onion cut into sixths perfectly.

With the arrows needing to be perfectly lined up to work, this model was a little too tricky for me to use daily.

On the upside, it has a dishwasher-safe cup and parts, so cleaning is a doddle.

2/5

KENWOOD EASY CHOP MINI

£29.99, down from £45.99, kenwoodworld.com

Edward Moss

SUPER-EASY to set up, this chopper slotted together in seconds.

With a 500W motor, it was one of the strongest tested, with the power to chop veg needed for most family meals.

But it is a small chopper, with a 500ml-capacity bowl, so do not be tempted to overfill it.

For consistent results, use four mushrooms at a time, quartered.

When I used more, there were bits left unchopped.

It worked superbly on 80g of onions cut into sixths and it chopped garlic cloves extremely finely.

It has two speeds, with the high speed setting meaning vegetables can be chopped so finely you can hide it in kids’ food, giving them that extra nutrition.

This model also comes with handy extras, like a cord clip to keep it tidy when out of use and a mini spatula.

Hardly ground-breaking, but it was a life-saver for getting every little chunk out and cutting down on waste.

And a very big plus is that every part of the chopper, except the motor, can be popped into the dishwasher.

5/5

SALTER MINI KITCHEN ELECTRIC CHOPPER

£15.99, reduced from £18.99, robertdyas.co.uk

Edward Moss

WITH its white, plastic body, this 350ml capacity model is not as stylish as some of the other machines and looks a little clunky.

But it was very easy to set up.

There is no guide to what size, or weight of produce to use, so I made sure not to go past the max marker.

A large 80g onion took it to maximum capacity, which is fine if you’re making food for a family of four or less.

But you end up with a slightly coarser chop than with other models as its 150w motor is less powerful.

I added 80g of quartered mushrooms to the empty chopper and one quarter was left unchopped after many pushes of the button. Adding 10g less would give a more consistent dice.

The button feels a little stiff, too.

But a convenient chute on the top of the chopper is great for adding olive oil when making dips and the blades and bowl are both dishwasher-friendly.

2/4

KITCHEN AID MINI FOOD CHOPPER

£71.20, reduced from £89, kitchenaid.co.uk

Edward Moss

ANYONE would be proud to have this stylish machine on show in their kitchen. But it’s not the cheapest.

It comes in four elegant colours – Contour Silver, Almond Cream, Empire Red and Onyx Black – with smart chrome flashes and looks tidy enough to keep on your counter.

This has the biggest bowl, with a 830ml capacity, of all the models tested and as it is very easy to brush the food out of its useful spout, there is less waste.

The handle is a super bonus and makes you feel more in control while pouring out the produce.

An 80g onion chopped into sixths came to well below the max fill level and was chopped up perfectly and incredibly fast – in less than eight seconds.

It was a bit of a faff to get the machine working a second time as I found the lid extremely tricky to get back on. It is very tight and took several attempts to get it lined up.

But it has the “busy parent” gold standard of a bowl, lid and accessories that are dishwasher safe.

 4/4