How to cut Fruit into Flowers

It has become very popular to produce colourful displays of fruit cut into the shapes of flowers. If you would like to try to produce your own, take a look below.

What you’ll need

• various fruits
• a sharp kitchen knife
• a suitable container such as a basket or bowl
• florists’ foam
• clear plastic wrap
• tissue paper
• toothpicks or skewers to hold the fruit in place
• additional decorations if wanted

Here’s what you do

• first of all choose what type of display you want and which fruits you prefer
• the best fruits are strawberries, grapes, pineapples, melons, mandarin pieces because they are small and strong enough to withstand carving
• don’t use bananas or apples as they discolour after a while
• don’t use “mushy” fruits such as raspberries as they will break up easily
• think about colour, try using all one colour for a dramatic affect or yellow and orange coloured fruits for a bright theme or even strawberries with black grapes
• prepare your fruit; small fruit such as strawberries and grapes can remain whole but large fruit such as pineapples and melons are best cut into cubes, circles, hearts etc.
• wrap the florists’ foam in plastic wrap to keep it away from the fruit or use an iceberg lettuce instead
• place the florists’ foam or lettuce in the base of your chosen container
• place tissue paper over the foam leaving some hanging over the sides of your container
• using the toothpicks and skewers spear your fruit and push into the foam
• try adding a number of fruits onto one spear for a better effect
• play around with the spears until the “bouquet” affect is achieved, you are aiming for a high centre with the fruits layers gradually getting lower to the edges
• finish it off with garnish such as herbs, leaves, ribbons, toys, chocolate, etc.
• once you are happy with it, it is ready