Amrat Parmar, 64, from Leicester, has been inspired by the World Cup to carve three England players onto melons. “I took a woodcarving course and someone asked me if I had tried carving melons, and when I tried it, they came out really good.” Parmar has displayed his work in pubs, but the fruit only lasts a week. Retiring next month, he hopes to expand his repertoire to include the pretty faces of brides (and their grooms), who would surely make cracking pairs of melons.

– Donal Coonan