Pretty red pears

Oh my, when I spotted this beautiful red fruit at the shops I simply could not leave it there – such a gorgeous colour, and somehow I have never sampled one before.

This little beauty is a Piqa Boo pear – yes, I agree, what a cute name, particularly as it sounds like Pikachu. Piqa Boo pears were first cultivated in New Zealand in the 1980s – so I don’t know quite why it took me so long to eat one – and they are bred from European, Chinese and Japanese pear breeds. This pear was absolutely delicious – crisp, juicy and not unlike a Nashi pear in taste. Some googling on the topic leads me this recipe for sautéed Piqa Boo pear piled on top of baked brie – not something I have tried for this post, but my mouth waters at the mere thought and I forsee this in my future.

To balance out the healthful eating of red pears, I have had some hearty wintery delights recently as well, including a helping of these duck fat roasted potatoes, and this very cheesy and delicious toastie at the beautiful Dough café. It has reached that point of Winter where it feels like it is never going to end and everyone has some kind of virus, so bright fruits and stodgy meals are helping me along. I hope this finds you all well – keep warm and healthy x