Banana artist gets Britain having fun with fruit

Legend has it that many years ago a cartoonist, frustrated for ideas, spotted a tiny mouse scurrying around his boss Walt Disney’s desk.

This careless and unplanned doodle led to the birth of the greatest animated character of all time - it's a wonderful story of how Mickey Mouse came into being.

It was an unknown, aspiring novelist who claims that during a long train journey one day the idea of a young boy wizard called Harry popped into her head.

She scribbled it down and …. do I really need to tell the rest?

My point is that the weirdest, unexpected and off-the-cuff ideas often open the door to the most glittering treasure troves.

You can spend years struggling to find inspiration before one day finding yourself twiddling your fingers, scratching your head - or drawing on a piece of fruit.

You may wonder where this is all going - and before you give up thinking I am bananas - I urge you to stick with it.

Not a very subtle pun I know but brings me to the stroke of genius which has the world looking at fruit in a whole new way.

Sitting at her desk one day, a national newspaper showbiz editor thoughtlessly drew a sketch of a puppy on a banana.

I was lucky to have been sitting just opposite and can proudly say I witnessed the birth of something that is about to send the whole world fruity.

FunWithFruit, the brainchild of dear colleague Elisa Roche, has seen the yellow skins of the Musa acuminata seed pod adorned with intricate images of Kermit the Frog, fearsome Chinese dragons, seahorses, gallon ships and my personal favourite - weather clouds and lightning.

Elisa now proudly presents herself as a  banana artist (probably the world’s first) and has an impressive Instagram portfolio to prove it.

Apart from the obvious fun of unleashing her unparalleled talents onto eight inches of bent yellow tropical fruit, she has set the wheels of something big in motion.

Young fans of her work are posting their banana pics on Instagram while their parents rejoice at their little ones wanting to eat fruit.

Amateur painters are dipping their toes into the all but uncharted steers of banana art before tucking into a potassium-rich tasty treat.

Elisa, a Jamie Oliver trained chef, has been featured in The Sun, The Daily Mirror and Vogue showing off her brilliant and delightfully bonkers craft.

She launched FunWithFruit bananart saying she loves to eat a banana every day, but not before fooling around with it.

Bravo! Can you imagine how much happier not to mention healthier we would be if we all released a little creativity before peeling back and tucking in? - non-toxic pens only children please.

For years health gurus and advisors have been racking their brains to think of ways of getting the nation eating more fruit and veg - well boys and girls, you have your answer…. draw and eat!

Elisa’s talent is well worth a look, even if you are not a fan of the yellow fruit.

We’ve had dolphins leaping out of the sea, boats cruising down the Thames, swimmers diving into cocktail glasses and Halloween witches fruitily flying on their banana broomsticks.

Elisa’s Christmas banana was a glowing treat of fairy lights while fans of Frozen - yes there’s one for you too.

I am a wholehearted believer that a little colourful madness makes the world go round - and Elisa, your bananas hit the spot like nothing else.

I love your daily creations and applaud your success at getting the nation doing what others have tried to and failed - having fun with fruit.