Pomelos need to grow in a warmer climate than the UK offers so this is one of the exotic fruits we buy that has been imported. We buy these when they are available from our wholesaler and these can be from South Africa or Asia. They are also grown in Israel and the USA mainly in California and Florida.  Pomelos are ancestors of grapefruits. In fact without pomelos grapefruits would not exist as they are a hybrid fruit created by crossing grapefruits with oranges. A natural non hybrid fruit much loved in Asia for its shape (similar to the moon) so popular at Chinese New Year celebrations and because its name in Cantonese is the same as the word for prosperity and status.

Here are some top tips for preparing this fruit which has a similar flavour to grapefruit but a more textured flesh making it perfect for salads but it can also be eaten as a dessert. As you can see from the image below Pomelo can have very thick pith. So a good way to prepare them is to remove the pith with a very sharp knife until you reach the flesh. Then cut between the sections to remove the flesh as close to the fibrous wall as possible. Pomelo flesh varies from pink to pale yellow depending on which variety you have . The flavour is milder and less bitter than grapefruit and the flesh is firmer.

Our recipe below created for our newsletter comes from Shirlee Posner @eatsurrey. Download a printable kitchen copy here.  Make this vegetarian by leaving out the prawns and replacing the fish sauce with a vegetarian alternative.