Great Pomegranate...

I vividly remember the first time I had a pomegranate. I was at my granny's house and she excitedly took me through to the dining room and told me she had a very special treat for me. She put the odd looking fruit in front of me on the dining table and looked at me expectantly.

'What is THAT?' I asked. Given the fact that my granny tried to feed me Saps (broken biscuits and white bread in a mug with hot milk and sugar) for supper alongside other hideous kitchen monstrosities (tripe....apricots..okay maybe the latter is not so bad) I was right to be suspicious.

If I'd known what a gourd was back then I'd have described the fruit as looking like one. With skin like blushing clay and a little sooty chimney on top, I was not holding out much hope of this 'special treat' being either.

Then she chopped it open and inside...it was like opening a door into a cave covered with hidden treasure. I remember my granny smiling as she saw my eyes widen with delight. I didn't know what those things were, but I DID know they were going to taste amazing. Jewel after jewel of amazing juice popped in my mouth until....argh, the yellow bit. Bitter and dry - I always feel cheated by those yellow bits. Still, the whole experience has lived with me (and gave me a very early lesson on taking the good with the bad) and I love pomegranates more than any other fruit on this lovely planet.

So it was with great excitement and anticipation that I sat Arlo down in front of his first pomegranate. 'What it is, Mummy?' he asked as I sat down in front of him with a chopping board and 4 sections of fruit. 'Wow' he said as the beads bounced into the waiting bowl. 'Now?' he asked, his little fingers hovering over the bowl and his big eyes studying my every move. Patiently he waited till every last bead was removed and when I was finished he asked again - 'now?'. I nodded and in went the spoon.

'Oh Mummy. I love it'. And then, the 2 of us, sitting face to face with a spoon each, well - we demolished that pomegranate. And I have to say - it was the best pomegranate I've ever had.