Fruit Butters, Cheeses & Curds

These preserves were a highlight of Victorian and Edwardian tea tables in Britain, where they were spread on bread or used as fillings in trifles and cakes. Both fruit butters and cheeses are made by cooking fruit to a purée and adding sugar. Fruit cheeses, as the name suggests, are the more solid of the two, being made with extra sugar; they can be sliced and eaten with coffee after a meal, and team well with dairy cheeses. Fruit butters and cheeses are often spiced: typical combinations are apple with cinnamon or pears with cloves.