Jamie says, “When people tell me they don’t like fruits like strawberries or raspberries, I can’t help thinking it’s because they’ve probably eaten fruit that’s been flown in from some far-away country, out of season. And when fruit is picked before it’s ripe then flown around the world it doesn’t have time to develop its natural sweetness and flavour. If those same people were to wait for the summer, and try British strawberries picked at their best, or orchard apples and pears picked in the autumn, I bet it would be a totally different story.”

WHY IS FRUIT GOOD FOR US? Fruit is low in calories and packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. Most of the nutrients found in apples, peaches and plums are in, or just under, the skin. So eating fruit with the skin on can give you more fibre and nutrients.

Fibre helps make you feel full so eating foods high in fibre should help to stop you from being hungry between meals. It also helps to control blood sugar levels. Having a diet rich in fibre helps to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, diabetes and other diet-related diseases. The type of fibre found in fruit is an insoluble fibre. This means it is not absorbed into the body, but passes through the digestive system, removing waste products along the way and keeping the gut healthy.

HOW MUCH FRUIT SHOULD WE EAT? We should be eating at least five portions of fruit and veg every day. One medium-sized piece of fruit or a portion of 80g counts as 1 of your ‘5 a day’ (see Getting your 5 a day). For example: 2 kiwi fruits or satsumas, 1 medium banana, orange, apple or pear, a handful of berries or grapes, a wedge of melon or pineapple (80g or more).

You could also have a fruit smoothie, a small handful of dried fruit or a medium glass of 100% unsweetened fruit juice. Just try and avoid drinks that have any ‘added sugar’ as they can sometimes have as much sugar in them as a fizzy drink. Only one glass of fruit juice or portion of dried fruit should be enjoyed per day (see the next page for more information).

© Jamie Oliver. Illustrations by Peter Hamilton.

JAMIESHOMECOOKINGSKILLS.COM

CAN WE HAVE TOO MUCH FRUIT? Food and drinks with added sugars can also cause tooth decay, particularly if you have them between meals. Even though unsweetened fruit juice and honey contain natural sugars, they can also have a similar effect. This is because sugar in its purest form is in direct contact with the teeth. The sugars found naturally in whole fruit are less likely to cause tooth decay because the sugars are contained within the structure of the fruit. But, when fruit is juiced or blended, the sugars are released and can damage the teeth. Fruit juice should therefore only be enjoyed once a day.

WHAT FRUIT SHOULD WE EAT? Quality is just as important as quantity. It’s always best to buy local, in-season produce if you can. If you want to know when certain fruit is in season, have a look on websites like www.eattheseasons.co.uk. Farmers’ markets are a brilliant place to pick up fresh local produce and discover wonderful, perhaps unfamiliar, fruit that you might not get in the supermarket. Not only will local fruit probably taste better, it should also be quite a bit cheaper than fruit flown in from other countries.

Although it’s not ideal to buy produce that is from outside the UK, there are certain types of fruit and vegetables that we can’t just grow here because of our climate. Tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit and bananas will probably always be flown in, because that that is the only way we can enjoy these fruits.

Whatever fruit you buy, it’s important to eat it within a few days of purchase because, like vegetables, fruit starts to deteriorate and lose nutrients from the moment it is picked. A fun way to get your fruit is to go to a ‘pick your own’ farm. The best time of year for this is in the UK is during the summer months.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO ENJOY FRUITThere are so many ways of enjoying fruit: in home-made smoothies, chopped up and scattered over cereal or yoghurt, in fruit salads, grilled, poached or stewed and then served with granola or pancakes.

You can also include fruit in lots of savoury dishes: slice an apple or pear into matchsticks and add it to a salad, throw a handful of chopped dried apricots into a Moroccan-style tagine or add prunes to a pork stew for incredible flavour and sweetness.

© Jamie Oliver. Illustrations by Peter Hamilton.

JAMIESHOMECOOKINGSKILLS.COM