You can serve these pears at Christmas with slices of strong blue cheese as a starter or a cheese course.The lovely thing with this recipe is that you don’t have to wait for months. They should be left in a cool dark place for a week before you dive in. They will keep for at least 3 months as long as they are somewhere cool and dark, a garage or shed would be ideal. Once you’ve opened the jar, keep stored in the fridge.TOP TIP Use a clean fork or spoon to remove the pears from the jar to stop contamination which means they will keep for a lot longer.
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Ingredients
- 750 ml cider vinegar
- 750 ml water
- 375 g golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp pink peppercorns
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 15 cloves
- 16 firm pears halved, peeled and cored
Equipment
- Jars for storage
Instructions
- Put the vinegar, water, sugar and spices into a large saucepan. Heat gently to melt the sugar.
- Meanwhile, peel the pears and scoop the cores out with a melon baller or teaspoon. Add the pears to the pan making sure they are covered with the liquid.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes. Test the pears with a knife, they should be just tender.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon and divide between the two jars. Turn the heat to hight under the vinegar and spice liquid and allow to boil for 5 minutes. Pour the liquid over the pears making sure all the jars include the spices and seal.
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