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Wardonys in syryp

Pears had been introduced to the British Isles by the Romans during their occupation and had been cultivated widely in the Middle Ages by Cistercian monks. The word ‘warden’ refers to hard, cooking pears and derives from the Anglo-Norman ‘warder’ meaning ‘to keep or preserve’. There used to be many varieties of cooking pears such as Parkinson’s warden, French warden and Spanish warden but few survive and so the suffix has been removed. Surviving warden pears include the Black Worcester, Catillac and Uvedale’s St Germain. If you are unable to get your hands on any of these varieties, then I would recommend unripe conference pears.

Equipment

Cast iron casserole
Slotted spoon
Serving dish

Preparation method

Place the pears in the casserole and cover with the wine.
Add the sugar, cinnamon sticks, ginger and saffron strands and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for half an hour or until the pears are tender and have turned a nice light red colour.
Transfer the pears to a serving dish with the slotted spoon.
Increase the heat and boil the liquid rapidly until reduced by a half and syrupy in consistency.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Pour the liquid over the pears in the serving dish and place in the fridge until needed.

Serving suggestion: Wardonys in syrup are delicious served with Burnt cream

More pear recipes

Cheltenham pudding

Pear and ginger trifle