Before the Italians changed their currency to euros, I had a wallet stuffed with hefty lira notes and it was all for a small greengrocer at the bottom of a small gorgeous mountain village somewhere by the seashore in Liguria, northern Italy. Its walls were unplastered, the green glass door would hit a chime and one bare light bulb hung from its ceiling over a beautiful display of the sweetest furry summer peaches, shapely nectarines, furrowed lemons, plump crimson cherries, and an array of yellow, pale and green courgettes (zucchini), some flowering, wonky and spiky. The perfume of the freshest fruit picked only the day before was exquisite.

Choose your melon and mango by their aroma: the stronger the smell, the sweeter the fruit. Balance this sweetness in the dressing that you make; use less honey if the fruits are sweet but more if they are sour. And for more recipes like this, check out my cookbook, Vietnamese Vegetarian.