Earlier this year I planted a second pear tree in our garden. This is its debut fruit – a single pear but perfectly formed and a promising start – basking in the autumn sunshine. I don’t tend to put pears on the menu much because they invariably don’t ripen in time. I had some in a bag on the windowsill with some old bananas for weeks before they were ready to eat… we enjoyed them for breakfast before school this week, fresh from the oven with some cheeky hazelnut and chocolate spread on the side.