Fruit Platter

A beautifully presented platter of fresh fruit looks just as good as it tastes! With a wide variety of vibrant colours, a mix of unique shapes and sizes and an array of flavours this carefully arranged platter will have you reaching for more.

You can use seasonal fruit when it's at it's best to add as many colours and flavours as you like.

Ingredients:

• Pineapple
• Melon (Watermelon, honey dew melon, rock melon/cantaloupe)
• Pawpaw or papaya
• Mango
• Grapes
• Orange
• Kiwifruit (red, green, gold)
• Fresh berries and cherries
• Passionfruit
• Dragon fruit
• Starfruit
• Lychee
• Mandarin

Any fruit that doesn't go brown is a perfect fruit platter addition.

Tips for putting your platter together:

• Think about the variety of fruit you have to use. Is it best to peel it or leave the skin on? To answer this question it comes down to what it's going to be like to eat. For fruit like kiwifruit, pineapples and oranges - eating a mouthful of skin isn't very appetising or pineapples will be stringy, so peel them before slicing. For something like watermelon, leaving the skin on would give you something to hold onto, but equally you could cut the skin off. In this case go with what looks better for your presentation. Do you want the extra green colour the skin would bring to the plate?
• You might like to thinly slice the bigger items like pineapples, melons. This makes it easier to pick up and allows you to fan it out for added visual effect. 
• Is your presentation going to be at random or will you go for a symmetrical look? Choose a style and stick with it as you assemble your creation.
• Start with the bigger fruits and keep the pieces in the same order they were cut. It naturally flows on and looks better. 
• Mix up the colours - e.g. It will look better if you don't have all the orange fruit side by side.
• Once you have your base, add the smaller items.
• Remember, an odd number of items looks more pleasing to the eye, so split the fruit into 3 or 5 slices to fan out and arrange.
• If you're adding grapes, remember to hide the stalks as much as possible. Carefully arrange a bundle and then put it on. If it's a platter for children, cut the bunch into smaller bundles to avoid them walking away with the whole lot! 
• Fill in any gaps with smaller ingredients like fresh berries.
• Don't forget to finish off the platter by adding a herb garnish.