It might sound a bit odd (or maybe it’s just not something you’ve ever considered), but cooking fruit over a charcoal grill is a simple and tasty way to get your five a day! The hot charcoal works its smoky magic and caramelises the natural sugars in the fruit, with delicious results. So why not give it a try? From barbecued bananas to grilled nectarine, pineapple and even strawberries, there’s a world of fruity BBQ ideas out there to enjoy! 

The Grill 

First things first; if you plan to cook over charcoal, it’s crucial to make sure the charcoal is at cooking temperature before you start. This can take a while, so it’s a good idea to factor in at least an extra 30 minutes’ prep time (for a more detailed guide, read our blog Getting the Most from a Charcoal Barbecue. We’d also recommend oiling the grill very lightly with sunflower or vegetable oil (not olive oil) before you light the charcoal, to help prevent sticking, as the high sugar content in fruit can make this more likely.  
Of course, grilling on a gas barbecue also produces fantastic results, and most (if not all) of our BBQ fruit recipes can be made just as easily with a griddle pan or conventional oven grill. 

The Fruit  

Loads of different fruit work will really well on the barbecue, so it’s worth experimenting (to be honest, everything seems to taste amazing cooked this way, so it’s pretty difficult to mess up!). You don’ even need to be as formal as following a recipe - for example, you could try cutting a fresh pineapple into rings or slicing the ‘cheeks’ from a ripe mango, then grilling for a few minutes on both sides before serving with a squeeze of fresh lime and your favourite ice cream. Whole strawberries can be threaded on a skewer, brushed with a little orange juice or balsamic vinegar and grilled just like a kebab; peaches, nectarines and apricots also stand up to the grill well, and will caramelise nicely. In other words, have a play around – it’s hard to go wrong! 

The Recipes  

If you’re ready to try a few recipe ideas, we have some great suggestions; our Grilled Nectarine & Prosciutto Panzanella is a flavour-packed riff on a favourite Italian summer salad, while our Grilled Crevette & Pineapple Skewers are sunshine on a s skewer – simple, tasty and exactly the kind of summer food we love. For dessert, our Grilled Bananas With Greendale Honey Rum Caramel Sauce reward a little more effort with truly gorgeous results, or why not try a cheeky BBQ Cream Tea when strawberry season is in full swing?  

To Serve 

Many BBQ recipes use fruit as an ingredient in a savoury meal, complementing meat, fish or cheese (grilled peach slices are perfect with grilled halloumi, for example). When it comes to dessert, however, we’d argue that barbecued fruit needs a little extra something to lift it from ‘fine’ to ‘fabulous’, be it a sweet sauce, ice cream, a sprinkled topping or all three! If you’re keen to make your own, roasted and chopped nuts always elevate a dish in terms of looks, taste and nutrition, or you could try mixing a pinch of sea salt and a small, finely-chopped red chilli into a tablespoon of soft brown sugar and sprinkling it over fruit in the final stages of cooking, so that it caramelises – this works a treat with the pineapple rings or mango mentioned above – then scatter over finely chopped fresh mint leaves to serve. 
For us, though, the classic pairing for fruit hot from the grill has to be cool and creamy; our Devon-made ice cream fits the bill perfectly, and is available in four delicious flavours. Double cream, whipped cream and yoghurt also add a delicious finishing touch, and we wouldn’t be Greendale if we didn’t mention clotted cream!