Healthy Eating

If your fruit bowl’s looking forlorn and getting your five-a-day is more of a jar than a joy, it may be high-time to perk things up with a persimmon, passion fruit or pomegranate! 

If you think a pineapple is exotic, wait until you hear about the amazing myriad of fruits that could reawaken your taste buds and refresh your shopping list – what’s more, they’re all Free!

custard apple

Although it sounds like a new bonfire night treat, the custard apple (also known as the annona and cherimoya) is apple-shape with soft green-brown scales. Its pale flesh ripens from acidic to sweet and is similar in flavour to pineapple. The ‘custard‘ part of its name relates to the fruit’s texture which is creamy, like firm-set ambrosia!  Popularly eaten in desserts, the fruit can also be halved, deseeded and eaten with a spoon straight from the skin!

guava

Native to South America, but widely available in supermarkets, this sweet and aromatic tropical fruit comes from the same family as cloves and eucalyptus.  Don’t let that put you off though, as their autumnal skins open to reveal soft, sweet pink flesh with a centre of small, black, edible seeds. Ripe fruit may have tiny black speckled on their skin and will give when squeezed gently. If you’re looking for an exciting orange alternative, look no further.  Guava boasts one of the highest vitamin C contents of all fruit.  Slice in into fruit salads or straight into your mouth for a juicy and delicious Free snack.

passion fruit

Also known as the granadilla, grenadilla or parchita, the passion fruit is commonly egg shaped with deep purple skin.  Forget every skin cream commercial you’ve ever seen - when it comes to passion fruit, wrinkles are in!  pocks and wrinkles mean the fruit is ripe and bursting with deep red seeds surrounded by sweet, golden flesh.  Add the seeds and flesh to yogurts, drizzle on top of cheesecakes and ice cream or eat with a spoon!

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papaya (paw paw)

Are you ready to be confused? The paw paw and the papaya are actually two different types of fruit (not too bad so far, is it?) however the papaya is sometimes referred to as the paw paw (got that?) The “real” paw paw looks nothing like a papaya, instead resembling a fat, overripe banana, and isn’t pleasant to eat. The papaya, however, is a delicious, pear-shaped, exotic fruit which, when ripe, has a golden skin and beautifully juicy orange flesh. The dozens of peppery, edible, shiny black seeds can be scooped out, and the flesh cubed, sliced or spooned out and served in a fruit salad, as a starter or just enjoyed straight from the skin!

bizarre and bite-sized

A large handful or cup of these miniature fruits count as a portion:

Kumquats: these olive-sized, orange-like fruits have a sweet outer skin, with tart flesh.  Like other citrus fruits, the pips are only good for spitting out!

Lychees: popular in Eastern cuisine, lychees have a hard, rough, red skin which is easily peeled to reveal the plump, juicy, white lobes of the fruit.  Cherry-sized, they have a delicate and fragrant flavour.  

Physalis: popular as a dessert garnish, these golden berries are also known as the cape gooseberry or Chinese lantern (due to their thin papery husk).  

Rambutan: like lycheese, this dark red-skinned fruit has a sweet, pearly white flesh with a large central stone. Recognisable thanks to their soft furry skin, rambutan are best eaten raw.