Compared with the apple and pear, quince has been relegated to the bottom division for quite a while. Unlike its cousins, quince needs to be prepared before it can be eaten, and in an age of fast food, that just won’t do.

But a little knowledge, time and effort reaps delicious rewards. The type of quince you will see in the market is usually the size of a Bramley apple, with a golden yellow skin. If they’re green, they won’t have ripened fully and will need to be left in a fruit bowl for a couple of days. Peel away its skin and you will reach a pale, solid, gritty flesh, which in its raw state is about as appetising as chewing on cardboard. Fully cooked, however, quince goes soft, with a perfumed aroma and apple-and-pear flavour. And sometimes, depending on the variety, with a rosy-red hue, too.

I like to poach quince in a sugar syrup infused with different flavourings such as the pared zest of an orange or lemon, vanilla, spices and herbs. Once soft, they’re fantastic with just a scoop of Greek yoghurt. You can also use them in crumbles and pies. If I’m serving it with meat, I tend to add a bit of vinegar or red wine to the poaching liquor to give it a savoury edge. You can also add chunks to roasted vegetables to serve with a roast, or use them to make a quince (instead of apple) sauce to go with pork.

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