In the spotlight - Melons

While it's true that you're never going to get melons in season within the UK - that is unless temperatures soar - it's nice to have fruit in the months towards the end of the year that remind you of sunnier days. With the clocks going back this coming weekend and the prospect of shorter days, now is as good a time as any to indulge in some tropical fruit. At one time it was mainly the Honeydew melon that made an appearance, but now there are half a dozen different varieties available; so whether your prefer Galia or Water melons, you've got permission to tuck in to these sunshine fruits, even if they have travelled a long way to get to your plate.

Although melons have a very high water content, they are a good source of Vitamin C - particularly the orange fleshed Cantaloupe variety - so don't just use them as a handy base to attach your loaded cocktail sticks at a party - cheese, pineapple and pickled onions anyone? Enjoy a large slice of melon as it comes, cube it to serve with other fresh fruit either in a bowl or on skewers, or freeze melon balls to use in place of ice cubes in drinks. A popular starter, serve melon with berries, sorbet, Parma ham or seafood. If you really want to take this fruit further, there are numerous recipes available for chilled melon soup or sorbet, amongst other dishes. However, sometimes the simple approach works best. Enjoy!

Photo by Asio Otus via Wikimedia Commons