INSEASON
pears
This shapely orchard fruit works a treat in sweet or savoury dishes, has anti-inflammatory proper ties and is good for your gut – and autumn is its season
FOOD
Pity the poor unloved pear. In a recent YouGov survey of the UK’s most popular fruits, it didn’t even make the top 20, lagging behind kiwis, coconuts and raisins. And the Conference – the skinny, freckled variety of pear we’re most familiar with seeing in our supermarkets – didn’t even feature in the top 45.
However, this delicately sweet orchard fruit deserves our attention. Valued by the Ancient Greeks for their flavour and reputed aphrodisiac properties, pears arrived in Britain during Roman times. They’re part of the rose family along with plums and peaches – their sometimes gritty texture is down to the same substance that makes up fruit stones.