Dessert

Preserved Pears Recipe for Christmas

05/12/2025

"I love being given homemade produce as a gift for Christmas, and so decided to have a go myself! Sadly, our fruit trees underperformed this year due to the terrible summer, but I did manage to find enough pears (Conference and Doyenne du Comice) to produce a few jars of preserved pears."

"This is an easy way to preserve pears for later enjoyment. Delicious served with chocolate or vanilla ice cream, or crème fraîche. I used a light syrup ratio of a cup of sugar to 2 pints of water. You could also use apple juice or white grape juice as your preserving liquid. You could even use water, though a lightly sugared solution will help the fruit retain its colour for storage longer than a few weeks."

"For spices I used cardamom, star anise and cinnamon, because I think these spices complement the flavour of the pears best. You could use nutmeg or vanilla too."

Frances, Ashridge Nurseries

Ingredients (to fill two 2-pint jars)

(adapted from a recipe at SimplyRecipes.com)

8-10 pears (not too ripe)
2 small cups of sugar
4 pints of water
2 star anise
4 cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
2 storage jars (Kilner jars, like the one in our photograph, work well)

Method

Peel, core, and quarter the pears. Add them to a bowl of cold water that has been acidified with lemon juice or citric acid to help prevent discolouration of the pears from oxidation.
In a large saucepan, add the sugar, water, and spices. Bring to a boil. Transfer the pear quarters from their lemon solution to the boiling sugar water. Let them come to the boil again and cook for 5 minutes.
Pack your jars with the pears. Pour the remaining strained syrup over them to cover, leaving ½-inch of headroom from the tops of the jars. Wipe the rims with a paper towel. Put on the lids.
If planning for long-term shelf storage (up to a year), fill the jars as in 3 above but before sealing them put them in a roasting tin with 3" water for 20 minutes in a hot oven. Close immediately on removing from the oven.

As ever, if you give a recipe a go, please do write back and tell us all about it!

Comments (28)

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Frankie Meek last year

Hi Cathy

Thanks for your comment. You will need two 1-litre Kilner jars for this recipe. As for the apple juice, it would be better to stick to the original recipe with water and sugar. The sugar is essential not just for sweetness but also for achieving the right consistency and flavour balance. Apple juice could add a different taste and may not work as well in helping the recipe set properly. If you still prefer to use apple juice, you might need to adjust the overall sugar content depending on the sweetness of the juice, but keep in mind it could affect the final outcome.
Frankie Meek Translation missing: en.blogs.article.published_at.years_ago

Thank you for your comment. The lids always have to be open when heating the jars. Kind regards Ashridge.
DAle Translation missing: en.blogs.article.published_at.years_ago

The recipe is for 2 pint jars of pears, so 4 pints of water is 4 times too much!
Ashridge Support Translation missing: en.blogs.article.published_at.years_ago

Have a look at https://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/making-your-first-preserve or you will find masses of DIY videos on using kilner jars online. However, the principle is exactly the same as if you were making jam or marmalade. With the lid down tight, as the pears cool a partial vacuum is formed inside the jar which seals it.
lyn Translation missing: en.blogs.article.published_at.years_ago

I’ve seen so many recipes for preserved or bottled pears but none seem to tell you how long they will keep for. It would be lovely to make Chardonnay bottled pears for Xmas presents so would someone kindly tell me if its worth doing now while the pears are ready on the tree (Oct).