Bon Viveur

On a hot, sunny day, there is nothing quite as thirst-quenching or refreshing as chilled watermelon. I remember as a child, gleefully tucking into the ruby red cubes that mum had painstakingly cut, careful to remove the rind and any seeds embedded in the flesh. Even now, having dispensed with the niceties of cubing the fruit and opting for generously chunky wedges, I still find much delight in taking big bites out of the crispy, crunchy flesh and feeling my mouth fill with sweet nectar. And of course, there is always the fun of spitting the seeds out afterwards!

While many would be content with simply enjoying the honey sweet fruit, not so for Elizabeth of the Fat Hippo who was conducting a tasting outside be tempted in London Court as part of the Eat Drink Perth festival. In her kitchen in Chapman Hill, Busselton she uses the rinds, that we so casually discard, to make these wonderful, traditional South African watermelon preserves or waatlemoen konfyt. The rind is cut into chunks, prepared and cooked in a syrup containing ginger, lemon, sugar and salt resulting in a product that is firm, golden hued, translucent, sweet and mildly flavoured.

On its own, the preserve is exceedingly sweet, probably a little too sweet. But when used as an accompaniment to cheese (I would recommend strong, sharp ones like Blue Vein, Stilton, Parmigiano Reggiano or Vintage Cheddar) the preserve provides a wonderful contrast. Its mild flavour allows the cheese to shine and dominate the palate while its sweetness serves as a counter-point to the salt and tang (in the case of Blue Vein or Stilton). Certainly a very worthy alternative to quince paste on any cheese platter.

Speaking at length to Elizabeth, she also suggests the following ways to enjoy the konfyt:

• Chopped and sprinkled over yoghurt or ice cream
• Sliced thinly and spread over toast
• Drizzle the syrup over pancakes

Being quite taken to the preserve and as I was running short of ideas and time for a pot-luck dinner later that evening, I bought a jar and later some cheese as my contribution to the meal. It was very well received by everyone who has tried it, other watermelon preserve “virgins”. It’s an incredible find and I’m looking for new ways to use this great ingredient.

The Fat Hippo does not currently have their own shop front, though Elizabeth informs me that they working very hard to set one up on the farm in Chapman Hill. You can get the preserve and other Fat Hippo products at these retail outlets.