Seeing as you ladies have a surplus of pears around, here is a little recipe that goes well with roast goose or duck.

8 small pears,peeled ,cored & halved.

4 fl.ozs. Balsamic vinegar.

12 Shallots,quartered thro root.

1 Pint Dry Cider.

6 oz. light brown sugar

A confit is something that has been concentrated by slow cooking, and, in this recipe, the pear halves are very slowly simmered in the balsamic vinegar and cider, so that the liquid, sugar and vinegar evaporate into a lovely, sharp-sweet, sticky mass to serve with the roast goose.

To make the confit, all you do is place all the ingredients in a wide, shallow saucepan, stir well, then bring everything up to simmering point without a lid. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let everything simmer gently, uncovered, until the pears and shallots are covered with a dark, sticky glaze. Be patient: this will take 11/4 hours, and you'll need to stir it from time to time. This can be made well in advance and just warmed slightly before serving