Del Monte

Del Monte is one of the best known names in tinned fruit worldwide. Its tins are packed in syrup or fruit juice, giving fruit that is soft, sweet and ready to serve straight from the can, with the peeling, stoning and slicing already done.

We carry Del Monte in our fruit in syrup collection, part of tinned fruit in the tins and ready meals department. The fruit cocktail is in light syrup, while the peaches and prunes are packed in juice, which keeps them a little less sweet and makes the liquid useful in cooking.

Fruit cocktail is the classic base for a British trifle and for the South Asian party favourite of fruit custard, chilled and stirred into thick vanilla custard. Drained, it goes into fruit chaat with chaat masala and lemon, or into a falooda glass. Peach slices are served with ice cream or cream, baked into a crumble or cobbler, or layered on a cheesecake. Prunes are eaten from the bowl at breakfast, with yoghurt or porridge, and add depth to a lamb tagine. The juice from the tin can be reduced into a light syrup for drizzling over sponge.

Once a tin is open, move leftover fruit and its juice into a covered container in the fridge and eat it within a couple of days. To compare, see the lychees and tropical fruit from Top-Op and our mango pulp.