The quince fruit seemed for many years undervalued, though now seems to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Quinces are an old fashioned fruit that have been pulled out from commercial orchards and so are really hard to obtain these days. Quince fruit is only edible when cooked. A small deciduous tree bearing large pome fruit related to pears and apples, which are a bright golden yellow when mature. The immature fruit is green with a dense white/grey kind of fluff that rubs off at maturity when the fruit changes colour to a hard, strongly perfumed flesh. The fruit requires much longer cooking than jam so that it turns into a spreadable paste. The cooking process changes the colour from a pale yellow to crimson red. Quince has a unique and pronounced flavour – is the best of all with hard or soft cheeses and, of course, a glass of wine!