5 July 2019

The fruit of your tennis labours

Are you ready to sit back and watch a weekend of tennis on TV? Or are you ready to get on court and start playing yourself? We asked one of tennis's newest sponsors to get us in the mood with some nutritious and delicious tennis fuel.

DelmonteWe rather like the idea that the LTA  has an "Official Fruit", but when you think about it, it makes absolute sense. Rafa Nadal's tennis is powered by dried dates, but Del Monte®, which has extended its sponsorship of the LTA for a second year, has a huge range of tasty options. Anyone lucky enough to be at one of the UK grass court events in the run up to Wimbledon may well have come across their promotions, but we asked the company if it could make some recommendations for Local Tennis League players, whether they are looking for a healthy snack while catching up on the on-screen action, or getting ready to play.

“Del Monte® is passionate about fuelling UK’s future tennis players. Of course to become a great athlete it takes time, practice... and the right diet!" says Sam Bennett, Marketing Controller at Del Monte UK, and that's equally important for  Local Tennis League players.

"You need to make your snacks count nutritionally. For instance, try to eat bananas, cubed pineapple chunks or any mix of fresh fruit as they provide vital nutrients to help you release the energy from the carbohydrates, fats and proteins you eat. You could even combine fruit with a lean meat like pork for the ideal pre-tennis meal. Del Monte® has a huge range of quality fruit based products, from fresh and juice to canned and even prepared snacks – meaning less time in the kitchen and more time on court. So if you’re looking for a healthy but quick way to fuel your body, we’re here to help!"

The proof as they say, is in the eating.


Peachy Breakfast Milkshake

Peachy Breakfast MilkshakeWe say: Could also be good match fuel if taken half an hour or so before a match

Serves two

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 can Del Monte® Peach Slices in Juice
  • 2 handfuls of muesli or granola
  • 6 scoops frozen yoghurt

PREPARATION

1. Put the Del Monte® peaches and their juice in a blender or food processor. Add the muesli or granola and blend.
2. Now add the frozen yoghurt to the blender. Blitz until well combined then pour into tall glasses.
3. Don’t forget to serve with a straw and a spoon!


MOB Kitchen Smokey Pork and Peach Pitta

MOB Kitchen is an online recipe platform that creates easy and low cost recipes for their followers. They have a highly engaged audience, especially with the 18-25 demographic, and worked with Del Monte® to create recipes to support its LTA partnership.

Serves four

INGREDIENTS

  • Kitche smokey pork and peach pittaPork chops (chopped into chunks) 
  • 1 Can of Del Monte® Peach Slices in Juice 
  • Chipotle paste 
  • Salt 
  • Olive oil 
  • 2 Red onions 
  • 4 Pittas 
  • 200g Natural yoghurt 
  • 1 Cucumber 
  • 1 Bunch of fresh mint 
  • Black pepper 
  • Half a lemon 
  • 12 Wooden skewers 

Method: 
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C
2. Soak your skewers in ice cold water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning when in the oven.
3. Start by chopping up your pork. Place your pork chunks into a bowl. Add 3 tbsps of chipotle paste, a pinch of salt and a glug of olive oil and mix together. Allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes. 
4. Chop your onions into large pieces. Take your skewers and, once marinated, add one chunk of pork, one chunk of onion and one peach slice at a time. Repeat this until you’ve reached the end of the skewer. Place your skewers on a tin foil covered baking tray, then sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Cook the skewers in the oven for 45 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove the skewers from the peaches and pork. 
6. Spoon your yoghurt into a bowl. Grate your cucumber and finely chop your mint and add this to the bowl, along with a grind of pepper, the juice from your lemon half and a glug of olive oil. Stir together until everything is evenly mixed. 
7. Assembly time! Toast your pittas and add a tbsp of your yoghurt dressing. Next, add one skewer’s worth of goodness. Repeat this for the other pittas and that’s it! So simple and delicious.
 

For more great recipes see www.delmonteeurope.com/recipes