After the enormous amount of eating and drinking of the past fortnight I need food that is a little lighter than the standard winter fare. Pomegranates are a good choice, being brilliantly healthy, delicious and having a wonderfully romantic history to brighten these dark January days.

Pomegranates are one of the oldest known fruits, famous in Greek myths and Bible stories. Persephone, the Greek goddess of the Underworld, was tempted to eat their ruby seeds by the god Hades and then banished for several months of every year to the Underworld as punishment. While she lived below, a bleak, wintry darkness reigned on earth; it was her temptation that led to our winters and some legends have it that the fruit that tempted Eve was the glittering pomegranate rather than the earthier apple.

So what of the beauty of pomegranates? Opening up a good pomegranate is like opening a bed of rubies that sparkle like jewels in Aladdin’s cave. If you open one to find an insipid pale nest of seeds, you’ve been had. The seeds should burst in your mouth as you bite into them, with explosions of sweet, sharp flavour. Middle-eastern food brings out the best in pomegranates, using their sweet-sour flavour to enliven meat and vegetable dishes.

When I worked at Petersham Nurseries we would slow-cook shoulders of lamb with cinnamon, fennel, coriander seeds, some dates and a hint of chilli, and stud the plate with pomegranate seeds to finish. I have come to love them with aubergine, thanks to the advice of a Lebanese friend. Roast aubergine flesh in olive oil, spices and a little pomegranate syrup and garnish with basil, mint, red onion and pomegranate seeds, and you have a warm salad fit for the finest table. Add couscous and diced feta and you have a winter meat-free feast.

Throwing some pomegranate seeds on to any dish, or indeed drink, transforms it into a coloured delight.

When buying a pomegranate, choose a heavy one with an unblemished skin. A good way to extract the seeds with minimum fuss, and avoiding the bitter pith, is to roll the fruit around on the work surface, pushing down with your hand as you do so. This dislodges the seeds from their white, pithy cushion. You will be able to feel the seeds popping out as you roll.

When you think that you have got most of the seeds out, cut open the pomegranate over a bowl and the juice and seeds should come spilling out, leaving the bitter pith behind.

I became obsessed with pomegranates when I was living in Mexico City where we would experiment with them in a cocktail bar that I ran. A brilliant drink to give you a booze-free lift in the drab days of January is freshly squeezed lime juice, pomegranate juice and sparkling water.

If you can’t quite bear to go cold turkey (my godfather always maintains that a booze-free January is too hard and opts for a teetotal February instead), shake the juice and seeds of half a pomegranate with a dash of grenadine, a twist of lime, apple juice, some mint leaves and a measure of dark rum in a cocktail shaker and pour over sparkling water. You get a thoroughly glamorous, light rum punch that is actually good for you. It certainly cheers my mother up on a Saturday night.

Thomasina is the author of Cook (HarperCollins, £16.99)

Pomegranate, fennel and mackerel ceviche

Peru is the inventor of the ceviche, a wonderful dish in which the citrus juices cook the marinating fish. While Peruvians insist on adding only chilli, onion, lime and a touch of coriander to the fish, in Mexico there is more artistic licence. Try serving this as a starter or a light lunch with crackers or tortilla chips, or a main course with roast sweet potato to complement the fiery nature of the chilli. It is dead easy and will blow the minds of your guests.

Serves 4-6

450g of mackerel fillets, diced into 1cm cubes
3tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2tbsp freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice or fresh squeezed lemon
Half a red onion, finely diced
1 small bulb of fennel, very finely diced
1 cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1 red chilli, seeded and finely diced
A good shaking of Tabasco
Seeds of 2 pomegranates
3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
1tbsp chopped mint leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the fish in a glass or ceramic dish with all the ingredients except for the seasoning, extra oil, mint and coriander leaves. Cover and marinate in the fridge for one to three hours. Taste and season with the extra-virgin olive oil, coriander, mint, salt and pepper. Serve with crackers or very good quality corn tortilla chips.

I am using mackerel here but try the dish with a mixture of salmon, halibut, scallops or any other firm-fleshed fish. You can check whether it was caught by sustainable methods on the Marine Conservation Society website, www.mcsuk.org and thereby try to ensure that your children will still be eating fish in years to come.

Nutritionist's verdict by Amanda Ursell

Tuck in . . . if you’ve got high cholesterol
A very artery-friendly post-Christmas meal. Pomegranates have been found to boost production of the enzyme paraoxonase, which breaks down cholesterol deposited on blood vessel walls, thus helping to reverse atherosclerotic damage. While these enzymes are at work, the omega-3 oils in the mackerel will be helping to thin the blood to boost circulation. Grapefruit juice helps to lower blood sugar, while, with the lime juice and coriander, there are useful amounts of vitamin C to bolster immunity.

Steer clear...of the tortillas if you are watching your weight
The only bit of the dish that I recommend you avoid is the tortilla chips if you are watching your weight. With 460 calories and 23g of fat per 100g serving, it would be a shame to eat unnecessary energy and undo all the heart-protecting powers of this dish. Stick with a couple of crackers, or better still, the sweet potato which is fantastically rich in betacarotene and vitamins C and E, all great for the skin and the circulation. www.amandaursell.com

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