Cacti & dragon fruit

Pink leathery skin, then magenta flesh so saturated it stains the chopping board. Of all the dragon fruits this one carries the most flavour — kiwi, watermelon and a hint of sweet beetroot, with crunchy black seeds dotted through. Cold from the fridge it eats like sorbet you didn't have to make.

The most sugar-forward of the dragon-fruit clan. Knobbled yellow skin opens to white flesh studded with black seeds — denser than the red, sweeter than the white, with a clean honey-pear finish. The one to reach for when you want pitaya without the vegetal note.

Hot-pink rind, snow-white flesh, jet-black seeds. The mildest pitaya of the three — clean, refreshing, gently sweet, a touch melon. Built for fruit plates, smoothie bowls, and any photo that needs a contrast hit. Travels well, holds shape when cubed.

Known as tuna across Mexico. Watermelon meets strawberry meets a clean, earthy sweetness, with hard seeds you swallow rather than chew. Handle with a tea towel — even when the visible spines are gone, the glochids will catch you. Worth it for the colour alone.