Summer without mangoes is like a tapas bar with no beer - it doesn't feel right. Their juicy, sweet perfumed flesh is unbeatable when eaten at room temperature. In a small town outside Darwin called Berry Springs, there is a fantastic swimming spot with - allegedly - no crocs. It sits among acres of mango trees and is one of Australia's biggest mango producing areas. Kensington Pride mangoes, also known as Bowens, are the most common variety grown in Australia and are available from late October.

Use them in green mango chutney - an excellent addition to grilled bacon, ham and chickpea salad or aged cheddar. This recipe is from a friend's mum. She put this one in her Lion's Club cookbook. These books are treasures to be found in op shops. Rice pudding - an easy dessert for the time-poor - is made extra special with mango. Once the rice is cooked, spoon into dishes, lay mango on top, sprinkle with sugar and caramelise with a flame torch.

Mango rice pudding brulee

200g Arborio rice

600ml milk

340ml coconut cream

4 strips of lemon peel, white pith removed

4 strips of orange peel, white pith removed

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Pinch of salt

150g castor sugar

1 leaf of gold strength gelatine

200g natural yoghurt

6 ripe mangoes

6 tbsp castor sugar

Place the rice, milk, coconut cream, citrus peels, vanilla, salt and sugar into a heavy base saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer for 12-15 mins or until the rice is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed. Soak the gelatine leaf in cold water until soft then remove and squeeze the excess water from it. Add the gelatine to the rice and stir until dissolved. Cover with cling film and chill. Place the cooled rice into a bowl, remove citrus peel and fold in the yoghurt, then pour into 6 deep heat-safe bowls. Peel the mangoes, cut the cheeks into 4 mm slices. Cover each rice pudding with slices of mango to cover all of the rice. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the mango. Use a flame torch to caramelise the sugar. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Green mango chutney

170ml malt vinegar

500g brown sugar

1 tbsp sea salt

7 green Kensington Pride mangoes, peeled and roughly chopped

200g raisins

1 brown onion, finely diced

20g ground ginger

1 green apple, unpeeled and cut into 1cm cubes

When looking for your green mangoes, go for the ones that are green with a slight orange colour at the top of the fruit - and if they have a slight perfume, even better.

Heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in a heavy-based stainless steel pot until the sugar dissolves. Add the mango, raisins, onion, ground ginger and apple. Return to the simmer and continue cooking for approx 45 minutes or until thick and saucy. Pour into clean sterilised jars and seal immediately. This will keep for 12 months in a cool dark pantry.

Makes 1.5 litres

Spicy mango salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and and cut into 1cm cubes

1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber

1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno chilli

1/3 cup chopped spring onion

1 tbsp lime juice

1/3 cup roughly chopped coriander leaves

10 mint leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

Combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice and coriander and mint leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper

Serves 6