Quince recipes

Quince paste is the classic Spanish condiment that belongs on every cheese board. Raw quince is inedibly hard and astringent — but slow-cooked with sugar it transforms into a jewel-red jelly of intense floral sweetness. Slice and serve alongside sharp manchego or aged cheddar.

Thinly sliced quince and apple are layered in alternating fans over a buttery almond cream filling in a crisp tart shell, creating a visually stunning dessert that highlights the quince's unique floral perfume. The quince is poached briefly before slicing to tenderise it and coax out its rose-gold colour, while the apple stays raw to provide a contrasting fresh crunch. This is autumn baking at its most graceful.

Quince quarters are slow-poached in red wine with cinnamon, star anise, and vanilla until they turn a deep, burgundy-rose colour and become silky-tender, absorbing the wine's tannins and the warm spices into every fibre of their flesh. This elegant dessert requires almost no effort but looks extraordinarily beautiful in its wine-dark syrup. Serve with mascarpone, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream.

Whole quince halves poached slowly in a fragrant syrup of sugar, red wine, cinnamon, star anise, and vanilla until they turn a stunning deep rose-red and become tender enough to cut with a spoon. The resulting poached quince is elegant as a dessert served with thick cream or yogurt, alongside a cheese course, or as a festive condiment for roast pork or lamb. Most of the work is hands-off — the oven does everything.