Prickly pears and pomegranates

• By Matty Cremona

You can peel and cut up prickly pears and add them to salads for a crunchy bite. Balance the sweetness of the fruit with peppery leaves like rocket (rucola) in a green salad, or with a squeeze of lemon juice in a fruit salad. The juicy flesh of pomegranates is delicious sprinkled over duck salad, which you can make by shredding some duck left over from a roast (or fry a couple of breasts). Toss the shredded duck in a mix of balsamic vinegar and pomegranate juice, season well, add lots of finely chopped parsley and some olive oil, and arrange the meat on a bed of lettuce and rocket. Scatter it with pomegranate flesh and serve this as a first course.

Drinks

Once you have prickly pear or pomegranate juice - you can liquidise and sieve the peeled fruit if you don’t own a juicer – you can chill it and add some cold, sparkling white wine to it for a refreshing drink. Or simply add ice cubes, slices of lemon and sprigs of mint to a jug of the juice, and serve it well chilled.