Sticky Pear and Perry sausages with Cobnuts

I love these early Autumn days. There's a familiar note in the air; crisp mornings warmed gently by a thin sun, scented with an earthy perfume of wood, wet leaves and smoke. It's a wonderful time to cook with fresh, seasonal produce - my Butcher took delivery of his first batch of local Wood Pigeons at the weekend, a brace of which are now residing in our freezer. It's a bit early for many wild nuts, but Kentish Cobnuts are available right now - their fresh crunch adds a lovely contrast to the soft, yielding pears and sticky sausages in this dish.

6 Good quality pork sausages
A knob of butter
3 Ripe Pears
2Tbsp Honey
1Tbsp Wholegrain mustard
A small wine glass of Perry (if you can't Perry, cider will be just as nice)
Fresh Cobnuts
Salt and pepper

In a large pan, fry the sausages on the hob until browned nicely. Add a good knob of butter, half the pears, then add them to the pan (you can griddle the cut side beforehand if you like – I always think that the charred lines add an extra visual dimension). Stir in the Perry, mustard and honey - season, then pop a lid on the pan and simmer on low for 20 minutes, turning the pears and sausages intermittently. Serve with a scattering of fresh whole Cobnuts and a hearty side of Celeriac mash.

Nightscrumping

I have a friend who just last week knocked on the front door of a house to enquire about the apple tree in its front garden. It seemed that the entire crop was going to waste; the grass beneath the branches carried the low drone of an army of wasps scratching away deep inside warm, fermenting fruit. In an "I might as well" moment, my friend took a deep breath, knocked on the door and politely asked if he might procure a handful of apples off the tree. "You’re not having any - goodbye" was the sharp and somewhat resolute response - the door was pretty much slammed in his face.

I've spoken before about the garden-bound Pear tree that I pass on my walk to and from the station each day. I enjoy its youthful flourish of blossom each Spring; a confetti-like festoon that scatters tiny petals across the pavement each time the wind blows. I marvel at tiny green fruit droplets that appear on its branches, swelling slowly in the Summer sun as the season drifts into Autumn. I despair as one by one they tumble to the ground, quickly rendered a vinegary sludge by insects, mould and the heavy wheels of a family 4x4.

I freely admit to a bit of light scrumping when the opportunity presents itself. Nothing OTT - just enough to make dessert for the family, or to make the fruit bowl look a little less sorry for itself. So it was by the cover of darkness on Thursday night that I quickly confiscated half a dozen pears from the tree after getting home late from work. The lights of the house were out and the street was still - they tasted all the better for their shifty Moonlit acquisition.

Spicy toffee nut pears

220g Granulated sugar

110ml Water

25g Butter

1/2tsp Cider vinegar

1/2tsp Cayenne pepper

1 Star anise

A handful of chopped mixed nuts

It's a good idea to use slightly under ripe pears. Heat the water in a pan, add sugar as it warms to dissolve. Stir in butter, vinegar, pepper and star anise and bring to the boil. You need to heat the toffee to hard-crack stage; this takes about 10 minutes, after which a small drop spooned into cold water will go rock hard and sink to the bottom. Stir in nuts, poke a stick into the top of each pear and coat in nutty toffee. Consume with youthful abandon.