Pickled pears

Pickled pears

A stylish and gorgeous treat, spooned out of the jar with a little of the syrup

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes enough to fill a 1-1.5 litre kilner jar

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 mins

Plus a month storing

Method

  1. Pare the zest from the lemon or orange and put in a pan with the cloves, peppercorns, allspice berries, root ginger, lemon or orange juice, vinegar, cinnamon sticks and sugar. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved. Peel, core and halve the pears, then add to the pan and simmer for 15 mins, until the pears are tender. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and put in a colander to drain. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the syrup and boil rapidly for 15 mins, until the syrup has reduced by about a third and slightly thickened.
  2. Pack the fruit into warmed jars and pour over the hot syrup to cover. Seal, label and store in a cool dry place for a month before using.

Per jar

4553 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 1203g, fat 2 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 22g, sugar 1002g, salt 0.74 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2004.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 01 October 2008

    tracy commented on this recipe

    do you seal the jars whilst they are still hot, or do you leave them to cool first?

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  • 12 August 2009

    yummie commented on this recipe

    sounds yummie :), but pleaseeeeeeeee tell us how long the shelf life is on recipes like this, pleaseeeeeeeee :(

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  • 12 October 2009

    Cafreb rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this a few years ago from the good food mag, to go with my Christmas goose. Fantastic. I am about to make it again as the pears in my garden are good this year. I always seal the jars while they are still hot because a) There will be less air (it is denser of cold) b) it helps create a better seal. This helps to preserve it. As for shelf life no idea - mine didn't make it past Christmas!

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  • Binder photo pen

    21 August 2010

    pen commented on this recipe

    I made these last year, and am about to start again. No idea about shelf life as they were all eaten so quickly, they didn't even make it to Christmas! Really yummy, and incredibly easy.

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  • 09 November 2010

    SylviaH commented on this recipe

    how many jars does this make roughly?

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  • 12 November 2010

    Angeldrawers rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely delish. I used white wine instead of vinegar.

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  • 05 December 2010

    d41d0y commented on this recipe

    I made this as a gift today and am seriously considering making another, larger batch for personal use as the syrup smells and tastes amazing!

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  • 05 December 2010

    d41d0y rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    forgot to rate! 5 stars, no probs!

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  • 06 December 2010

    Sara Bottom commented on this recipe

    Hi. I am about to make these for the first time but i am struggling to find allspice berries - can anyone help or suggest something to use instead?? thank you!

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  • 06 December 2010

    The Baldy Notion commented on this recipe

    Hi Sara - try juniper berries instead of allspice...

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  • 09 December 2010

    shell rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    made this yesterday for xmas presents, tastes fantastic, syrup is lovely! will definitely be making more of this!

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  • 07 February 2011

    David Hannah commented on this recipe

    Nutrition per serving 4553kcal? How big is the serving? dghannah

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  • 04 September 2011

    Teresah commented on this recipe

    What do you eat them with

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  • 16 October 2011

    Mrs H rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Eat them with cold meat. Yum.

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  • 23 December 2011

    SamGooders rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Gave as gifts last year and went down a storm - so much so the kilner jars were returned to me to be filled again this year!!! Yummy. The bags of 'fun size' pears you get at supermarkets for kids lunchboxes are a perfect size. Easy to make & great as a starter with pate or potted stilton.

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  • 28 October 2012

    My favs commented on this recipe

    Made to give as Xmas pressies - didn't have all spice so used some nutmeg and star annise - syrup is lovey - hope I can keep them till Xmas!

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  • 05 December 2012

    Woody36 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Totally delicious! The syrup is amazing and the pears only seem to improve with age - I made my first batch about 2 months ago and they are just getting better and better! We've enjoyed these with good sliced ham, homemade chicken liver parfait and they are fab with cheese and biscuits - particularly anything blue and creamy - YUM!

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  • 07 December 2012

    ali2166 rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Not too sure about this one .found the vinegar overpowered. Everything very strong smell and taste .had loads of extra syrup left over as well .might improve with age I hope .

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes enough to fill a 1-1.5 litre kilner jar

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 mins

Plus a month storing

Wonderful with cold meats

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon or orange
  • 10 cloves
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns , lightly crushed
  • 1 tsp allspice berries, lightly crushed
  • 5 cm piece fresh root ginger , sliced
  • 1 litre/1¾ pints cider or white wine vinegar
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1kg bag caster sugar
  • 2kg small pears
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Per jar

4553 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 1203g, fat 2 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 22g, sugar 1002g, salt 0.74 g

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