We have been fortunate enough to have made 100’s of hand cut fruit platters for our customers. Fruit platters are perfect for any special occasion, business lunch, wedding feast or anniversary party. Your colourful fruit display should become a focal point. We will share our knowledge freely so that you can benefit from our experience.
With the latest COVID restrictions we feel that the food we serve should be completely edible. No pips, rinds or leaves to be removed from your mouth and placed on your plate.
We must ensure that our fruit platters are easy to enjoy. Fruit is cut into bite sized pieces, stems, rinds and pips removed. Follow our fruit platter guide for professional results. Read on for great fruit platter ideas and discover the best fruit for platters..
Considerations Prior To Making Fruit Platters:
When providing fruit for less than six guests, where sandwiches and cakes are also provided we will often suggest fruit skewers. They can be equally tasty and will keep the costs down and avoid unnecessary waste.
Our business fruit platters are always supplied in multiples for six people or ten people. This is due to the size of the medium and large platter boxes. Anything larger would be very difficult to deliver, so for large groups or functions we provide multiples of the above.
Having been personally responsible for preparing many of these platters I much prefer to select the fruit myself whenever possible. Avoid hard kiwifruit, mango, unripe melons or pineapple. Strawberries should be just ready to eat.
Your fruit platter should look great and be easy and enjoyable to eat. Careful selection and preparation of your fresh fruits will maximise your success.
Most fruit will spoil quickly once washed and cut. Some fruits are vulnerable to bruising and browning. Once cut, fruit is easily damaged if not cared for properly.
We select our fruit within 24hrs of use.
Listed below the best types of fruit for platters:
Selecting ripe fruit:
Pineapple - A ripe pineapple should have a firm but slightly soft shell with a small amount of give when squeezed. A golden yellow skin is best. A green pineapple is not ripe. A darker orange skin indicates that the pineapple is overripe.
You should also be able to pull out the inner leaves quite easily. A good nose will help you. Smell the bottom of a ripe looking pineapple and if it has a hint of vinegar it is over ripe. It should have a clean sweet aroma.
Melon - Honeydew and Cantaloupe melons.
Colour is your first sign of ripeness. The melon's green rind will take on a creamy yellowish colour. Push gently on the end of the melon opposite from the stem. If there is a slight give, the melon is probably ripe.
A Honeydew melon also becomes slightly tacky due to the release of an oil as it ripens. Use your thumb across the skin and a good squeak indicates that it is probably ripe.
Watermelon is more difficult to gauge but the white belly often turns yellow as it ripens. Giving it a tap with your knuckles can sometimes prove useful, if it sounds hollow, that's a good sign.
Gala melons have pale yellow to golden skin. If there are alot of melons to choose from, pick one that is starting to develop an orange tinge. Also if a push on the ends allows some give that is a good sign also.
Strawberries - Medium to large strawberries are best. Ripe strawberries are usually uniformly bright and colourful. Avoid mushy and unripe strawberries as they rarely taste nice.
If you get a chance to smell the strawberries you will know if they are going to taste great. We always wash and de-hull the strawberries using a paring knife.
Kiwifruit - You can easily tell just ripe kiwifruit as they offer little resistance when pressed gently between thumb and finger.
Fresh figs
An edible flower garnish can lift your platter from being great to exceptional. Try to make your food an experience to enjoy.
