‘Quince challenged me’: how to cook, eat and enjoy seven of the world’s most difficult fruits

In her new book, Kate Lebo experiments with tricky fruit. Here she explains the best ways to ensure that even nature's tartest, sourest offerings never go to waste

The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo isn't technically a cookbook. It's a collection of personal essays about family, illness and nature, each linked to a different fruit that - over the years, warranted or otherwise - has developed something of a bad reputation. It is a beautiful read, and each chapter ends with Lebo's attempts to make use of these under-appreciated foods. I spoke to her about eight of the fruits she includes, what makes them difficult, and what on earth you're supposed to do with them.