Crossword Genius

Tear wrapping from éclair that’s readier to eat (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

riper

'readier to eat' is the definition.

'tear wrapping from eclair' is the wordplay.
'tear' becomes 'rip' (ripping is a kind of tearing).
'wrapping from' means to remove the middle letters (the outside letters or wrapper of the word remain).
'eclair' with its centre removed is 'er'.
'rip'+'er'='RIPER'

'that's' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for riper that I've seen before include "More ready to pick" , "More suitable for picking" , "More ready for harvest" , "becomes more mature" , "More ready for picking" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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