Melon in fashion
From earrings and key chains to bags, shoes and clothes, watermelons featured in several spring/summer collections. Case in point: Charlotte Olympia’s spring/summer shoes, keyrings and bags.
Plan B: give up trying to capture the sun between your fingers, and instead get someone to hold a dress-shaped piece of the fruit in front of you for your next goofy picture.
Plan C: head down to the pool with a watermelon float from Sunnylife, available at Boutique Nomads.
On your plate
The fibre-rich fruit is packed with vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants, plus it's versatile enough to be enjoyed in various forms, such as juices, smoothies, and salads (with feta or halloumi). It also tastes surprisingly delicious between bread, and can replace the tomato in your sandwich, or act as the bread itself with various fillings within. Michelin-starred chef Claudio Sadler shared his watermelon water-ice dessert recipe with The National:
· Chop and deseed a kilo of watermelon
· Place in a blender, add caster sugar to taste and blitz to a liquid
· Pour into a cold bowl or dish and freeze for an hour, until ice crystals start to form
· Remove the bowl from the freezer and scrape the frozen pieces back into the mixture, return to the freezer and repeat every hour, until the mixture is frozen with a fluffy, crystalline texture
· Serve the watermelon ice on its own as a refreshing dessert or palate cleanser, or spoon over fruit
Make watermelon art
Download a watermelon game
There are actually several fun options, two of which are called Watermelon Bomb. In the first, you need to launch melons equipped with special fruity firepower into an evil tree to free the berries, oranges and coconuts; in the second you can cover your enemies in sticky watermelon juice, which will prevent them from moving for a few seconds. In Fruit Slash, slice open apples, pears, bananas and – for extra points – watermelons with a swipe of your finger. Addictive stuff.
End your evening with a watermelon barrel
The Wavebreaker Beach Bar & Grill at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah has a watermelon happy hour, where you can get two melon-flavoured beverages for the price of one, plus a plate of the fruit. If you’re going with a group – or feeling a bit adventurous yourself – get the watermelon barrel for Dh99. Not only does the juice – mixed with your choice of base – make for a delicious drink, but the high level of electrolytes in the fruit will also keep you hydrated all night.
