Good Friday is not Good Beer Day or Good Fruit Day, it’s Good Friday and should be treated with respect. Easter Sunday, though, is another matter: a day of celebration throughout the Christian world, and a fitting day for all of us to serve-up the best tasting fruit that you can find!
FOR MY EASTER WEEKEND FRUITBOWL, I WOULD BUY:
Grapes: Delicious Sable and the sweet, crisp Melody and Inia One black grapes are fittingly flavoursome. Also look out for Muscat Beauty, Sweet Joy, Sweet Sapphire and Adora Seedless for something a little different.
Satsumas: Delicious, tangy, sweet, juicy Mihowase satsumas are in many shops seen in Asda, Aldi, M&S and Waitrose, so far): new, fresh season from South Africa.
Mandarins: Nadorcott and Orri from Spain, Morocco and Portugal, losing their acids a little, but becoming very sweet as a result.
Strawberries: Stick to new varieties such as Viva, Victory and the Driscoll types, Lusa, Magdelana, Marquis. These tend to have been bred with flavour and sweetness in mind, as well as benefits for the grower and retailer, so will be interesting to try.
Blueberries: Moroccan blueberries are now established in most stores, with early season Spanish fruit making up the rest: look out for the deliciously plump Kirra and Mayra (read the label for the variety name).
Pears: Sainsbury’s are selling South African Concorde and Chilean Forelle pears; and look out for Abaté Fétèl and Comice (Lidl, M&S and Waitrose): all delicious.
Mangoes: Try Brazilian Palmer, Amelie from Burkina Faso (spotted in Lidl), a really perfumed and silky smooth variety and Nam Dok Mae from Thailand (sometimes in M&S, or ethnic groceries) is sublime!
Mandarins: Nadorcott and Orri from Spain, Morocco and Portugal are the main varieties available in stores: great mandarins, but losing their acids and becoming very sweet by now.
Oranges: Late season Navels from Spain, such as Powell (Sainsbury’s) and Rohde (Waitrose) are really sweet at the moment, and LaneLates should still be good.
Grapefruit: Sweet, juicy Florida Pink Ruby Red is still in good condition, though beware some poor, stored fruit (buy nothing with any brown areas around the stem).