What are my special features?

This is a hard dark culinary pear, belonging to a group known as Warden pears. It is likely to be the longest cultivated variety of pear in existence with a rich historical association with Worcestershire.

 

Why am I forgotten?

Although it was once grown commercially, since the 1950’s it is no longer widely used or supplied commercially and only available from trees across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Trees can be bought from several nurseries.

People don’t cook pears enough and ignorance of how to use it is widespread, there is a perception they are rock hard and as such useless. Which if picked in October is true, but they should be stored into the new year and beyond when they soften and sweeten.

The traditional method of cooking was to bake them with red wine and cloves, slowly and for a long time. They work well in pies and crumbles mixed 50:50 with apple.