In this week’s episode, Neil talks to medlar expert Jane Steward. Jane has done sterling work in the area of medlar awareness, and now the medlar is not the forgotten fruit it once was. She has a medlar orchard and associated business Eastgate Larder selling a whole range of medlar products, and is the author of Medlars: Growing & Cooking, published by Prospect Books. We discuss how Jane discovered the fruit and made a business out of it, the domesticated varieties and wild fruits, growing medlar trees, the importance of medlars in the past, medlars in the kitchen, the subtleties of making medlar jelly and much more. Follow Jane on Instagram and Twitter @eastgatelarder The Eastgate Larder website: www.eastgatelarder.co.uk Jane’s book Medlars: Cooking & Eating: https://prospectbooks.co.uk/products-page/new-and-forthcoming-titles/medlars-growing-cooking/ There are 3 Easter eggs associated with this episode, to access them start a monthly £3 subscription. Subscribers get access to all of the Easter eggs, premium blog content and Neil’s monthly newsletter. Visit https://britishfoodhistory.com/support-the-blog-podcast/ for more details. On that page, you could also donate a one-off ‘virtual coffee’ or ‘virtual pint’. All money received goes into making more content. Read Neil’s work on the medlar: Forgotten Foods #7: Openarses (also available as part of the mini-season on the Easter Eggs page of the website) https://britishfoodhistory.com/2017/11/12/forgotten-foods-7-openarses/ How to Make Medlar Jelly: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2017/11/17/how-to-make-medlar-or-quince-or-crab-apple-jelly/ Medlar Tart: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2018/11/19/medlar-tart/ That Shakespeare Life ‘Medlars’ episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2w7xGGBye93jvO39IuntTO?si=395c4f240f7d4f5d Other bits: Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ http://britishfoodhistory.com ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ http://neilcooksgrigson.com Buy Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper at your favourite bookshop, or from the publisher Pen & Sword History: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Before-Mrs-Beeton-Hardback/p/22437 Neil’s other book A Dark History of Sugar is available now from all bookshops as well as from the publisher Pen & Sword: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-Dark-History-of-Sugar-Hardback/p/20481 Don’t forget there will be postbag episodes, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at...