Slow cooking
Honey-Roasted Pears with Thyme & Ricotta
A four-ingredient pudding built for a jar of raw honey brought home from a bee farm.
30 September 2026 4 min read Serves 4
Foraging notes
Firm pears straight off a u-pick tree, plus a single-origin honey.
Raw honey loses its perfume above 60°C, so half goes in the pan and half over the top at the table.
Chestnut honey brings bitterness, acacia keeps it floral. Both work; pick whichever you carried home.
Best months
Ingredients
- 4 firm pears, halved and cored
- 4 tbsp honey
- 30g butter
- 6 thyme sprigs
- Pinch of flaky salt
- 250g ricotta, to serve
Method
Sear
Melt butter in an oven-proof pan and lay the pears cut side down until they take colour, about 4 minutes.
Roast
Spoon over 2 tbsp honey, add thyme, roast at 190°C / 375°F for 20-25 minutes, basting once.
Finish raw
Serve warm on ricotta with the remaining honey trickled over and a pinch of salt.
Kitchen tip: Under-ripe pears are the right pears here — ripe ones collapse into sauce.
