Pear

How to store Pear

Ripen in a fruit bowl. When ripe keep in the bottom of the fridge and eat within a couple of days. Straight from the farm, so please wash before eating.

Easy ideas

1. Salads

Cut into a dice, slices or thin matchsticks they are wonderful thrown into a salad. In fact they are better slightly under-ripe as they are crisp and not too cloyingly sweet. Try a simple combo of hazelnuts, blue cheese and bitter salad leaves, simply dressed. Try them in a slaw with some beetroot, red cabbage and onion. Dress with crème fraîche and mustard.

2. Pickled

A simple and lightly cooked side. Perfect with pork, game or even a sharp crumbly cheese. Peel and dice 2 pears. Sauté them lightly in a little butter for a few mins before adding 3 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar. Simmer for about 5 mins until just softening. Flavour with a little fresh thyme and maybe a pinch of allspice. Season with salt and pepper. Gets better after a few days in the fridge.

3. Roasted

Peel and halve 3 pears. Scoop out the cores with a spoon. For a sweet treat throw them in a roasting tin with a split vanilla pod, a generous slug of perry or dessert wine, a knob of butter and a drizzle of honey. Bake for 20-30 mins at 180˚C/Gas 4 until tender. Turn and baste at regular intervals. Serve with mascarpone and toasted almonds. For something savoury, tuck them under roasting pork or duck with some rosemary, bay and a glass of white wine for the final 30 mins in the oven.