• 1 quince
• 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) red wine
• 200 ml (7 fl oz) Port (tawny)
• 1 clove
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• ½ bay leaf
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 orange, peel, juice
• 50 ml (1¾ fl oz) red wine vinegar
• 100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• freeze-dried mandarin segments, to serve
• red-veined sorrel cress, to serve

Earl Grey Ice Cream

• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) milk
• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) thin (pouring) cream
• 10 g (¼ oz) Earl Grey tea leaves
• 8 egg yolks
• 100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Pain D’épices

• 3 eggs, separated
• 50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 125 g (4½ oz) treacle or molasses
• 125 g (4½ oz) honey
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) milk
• 1 lemon, juice
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 250 g (9 oz) rye flour
• 20 g (¾ oz) baking powder
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Orange Gel

• 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 5 g (⅛ oz) agar-agar

Peel the quince and leave uncovered to dry overnight in the refrigerator. Cut into quarters and remove the core. Put the red wine, port, spices, bay leaf, vanilla bean, orange peel, vinegar and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the quince, cover and marinate for 2 days in the refrigerator. Seal the mixture in a sous-vide bag and cook in a waterbath at 75°C (165°F) for 12–16 hours. Strain, reserving the quince and the liquid in separate containers.

Make the Earl Grey ice cream by putting the milk, cream and tea leaves in a saucepan and gently warming over low heat to allow the flavours to infuse. Remove, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight to steep. Strain into a clean saucepan and warm over low heat. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and creamy, then slowly add to the milk mixture in the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook until it reaches the consistency of custard and coats the back of a spoon, stirring constantly so it doesn’t catch. Strain into a large bowl and place over an ice bath to chill. Churn in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze overnight.

Preheat the oven to 160°C 315°F/Gas 2–3. Grease and line a loaf (bar) tin and set aside. To make the pain d’épices, put the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and thick. Add the remaining wet ingredients, stirring gently to incorporate. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients until well combined. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 30–45 minutes or until it is golden and springs back lightly to the touch. Allow to cool completely before breaking into a crumb. Place in a dehydrator or oven at 80°C (175°F/Gas ¼–½) for 6 hours or until hard.

To make the orange gel, combine the juice and agar-agar in a saucepan over low to medium heat and slowly bring to the boil. Pour the liquid into a tray and leave to set. When it has hardened, cut it into rough pieces. Put the pieces in a blender and blend until a purée forms, adding a tablespoon of orange juice to loosen if needed.