Name: Saffron and Cinnamon Pears
Ingredients: 2 egg whites; rose or violet petals, ground pistachios, roasted nuts or seeds, ground spices; 900g/2lb granulated sugar; a generous fingerful of saffron fronds; 12–14 pears; 6–8 small cinnamon sticks; 4 tablespoons coconut cream

I regularly make batches of these pears and keep them in my fridge to pull out for cookery workshops and impromptu guests, and to pair with whisky. Sweet, versatile and pretty to look at, they can be combined with roasted vegetables, with smoked ham and duck, or with strong blue cheeses like Humphrey Errington’s fabulous Lanark Blue – I served them quartered with a triangle of Stilton as part of the Captain’s Reserve finger food menu. But I also lik