Zesty oranges aren’t just for peeling, eating and juicing

Think beyond the obvious and you'll soon witness the true versatility of the bright and breezy orange. Try using them in tarts, marmalade, compotes and salads for a vitamin C boost with a real healthy kick.

Fresh orange juice

Extracted from the versatile orange, orange juice is one of the most widely consumed fruit juices in the world. Quite apart from a fabulous taste, the health advantages of eating oranges, or drinking the juice it produces, are plenty.

Research confirms drinking orange juice every day offers multiple benefits, mostly thanks to its protective effect. The juice of the citrus fruit contains high levels of flavonoids and many anti-inflammatory properties and by consuming at least two glasses every day, we can boost vitamin C intake, a crucial vitamin that cannot be produced by the human body.

Vitamin C can protect our body against the effects of free radicals, or molecules that cause premature ageing and tissue damage. Since vitamin C also serves as an antioxidant, it also functions as a shield against many types of cancers.

This is why orange juice is recommended to keep the DNA of healthy cells from turning to cancerous cells. Breakfast, lunch or dinner – orange juice is a healthy choice. Plus, if you juice by hand it’s also a pretty good workout.

Zesty orange tart

Oranges contain folate, which is a member of the B complex family, which is crucial for the growth of new cells and the creation of DNA.

It also detoxifies the body and boosts immunity as oranges are known for their powerful healing properties. This is why orange juice is given to patients or individuals who are recovering from an injury.

There’s never been a better excuse to eat tart. Since a single serving of oranges offers more than 200% of the vitamin C required by the body, it is safe to assume an orange tart is good for you, right? Absolutely!

There are many orange tart recipes, but those where the compote is spread over the tart crust underneath a layer of poached, sliced oranges are the most popular.

The skin is left on the oranges, and it softens and sweetens in the poaching syrup. When you bake and glaze the tart, some of the edges of the rinds burn ever so slightly, so you get a wonderful combination of sweet, tart and burnt orange flavours in the fully baked and glazed tart.

Orange and mango salad

Consuming this juice regularly prevents ageing signs and keeps the skin younger looking. Moreover, the vitamin C in orange juice guards the skin from damage caused by free radicals. So try and get oranges into as many courses as possible. Lunchtime salads are a real fan of the sweetness an orange can bring, not to mention the colour pop.

Let oranges be the hero of a salad or side dish because there's nothing like a shot of tart, juicy fruit against pungent leaves of arugula or spinach, but they're also beautiful and refreshing with lighter, softer, mild-tasting lettuces.

Try orange salads with red onions and black olives, with a hint of cumin in the dressing. Or go for a more traditional, sweet orange and mango salad and be as creative as you like with the toppings. We love pine seeds and chia.