Here’s a little creation we made earlier in the year and it was a HUGE hit. You could make it for Christmas – we didn’t have the patience to wait. (Yes, I know, I only have myself to blame for Crackers’ premature obsession with Christmas. It probably also doesn’t help that I’ve been telling him I have Santa on speed dial when he misbehaves…).
I’d seen a few versions of this tree making the rounds on the net, and I’d actually made one as a ‘cake alternative’ for my husband’s birthday (he was slightly miffed that I’d deprived him of the customary chocolate cake, but had to admit it looked pretty cool). The problem was that all the versions I’d managed to find used an apple and a carrot as the base, and toothpicks to secure the fruit into the base. This makes for a nice tall tree and looks great but, as I painfully discovered, turns your hands into pin cushions.
I knew it would be a hit with Crackers so I started thinking about ways to make it a bit more kid friendly. Hence this version, using a pear for the base and matchsticks instead of toothpicks.
What you will need:
- a ripe pear
- a selection of soft fruit (strawberries, kiwi fruit, grapes, blueberries and melons work well)
- a knife and cutting board
- a star-shaped cookie cutter
- lots of matchsticks (we used about 40 here!)
Method:
1. Cut the bottom off the pear to create a flat base.
2. Cut your star out of the slice of pear you cut off (alternatively you could use rockmelon for your star).
3. Stick your star on the top of the pear with a matchstick.
4. Stick matchsticks all around your pear.
5. Cut your fruit into triangle-ish shapes of different sizes.
6. Stick the fruit onto the matchsticks, with the larger pieces at the bottom and working your way up to the top with the smaller pieces.
7. Voila, you’re done! Yep, it really is that easy…