Possible Clues:

• First of date trees to be sprayed in the Sahara
• Hot dry area
• Leave it to dry
• Pudding lacks a bit of sauce -- it's very dry
• Shirk one's duty, in a big way
• Trees don't start to flourish here
• Leave this, it's too dry
• See 23
• Abandon course being a bit gutted
• "The English Patient" setting