This article is part of the FT Globetrotter’s Guide to London.
If strawberries are the romantic star of your fruit bowl, consider quince the overlooked sidekick. These knobby fruits look like something between a pear and an apple. However, unlike their relatives, quince can be noisy and uncooperative. It usually cannot be eaten raw. Too hard, too grainy, too sour. Also, cooking quinces can be a pain. In some cases, you may end up boiling the quince for up to two hours.
Quinces are very difficult to produce, so they are often limited to jams and preserves. These are delicious, of course – Spanish membrillo pairs particularly well with manchego – but the fruit’s delicate flavor can become a bit one-dimensional. Adrian Ford-Beggs, creative director at London’s Seed Library and Lianes Bar, says: “Quinces are usually loaded with sugar to make them taste good.” “The contact most people have with quince jelly tends to be quince jelly.”
But for those tired of this well-known story, an even more promising sequel is coming this fall. Until December, London restaurants are giving quinces the airtime they deserve. And with its fragrant flavor, with notes of roses and a whisper of citrus, quince is worth the world. My favorite ways to eat them are often sweet – check out Layla Bakery’s Quince Crumble Pastry – but there are also many savory options. The fruit is high in tannins, which makes it an excellent companion to cheese and fatty meats. Manteca in Shoreditch previously made particularly delicious quince and pumpkin ravioli, while Bocca di Lupo in Soho served homemade cotechino sausage with lentil and quince mostarda. “It just takes a little bit of love to guide you in the right direction,” says Fordbeggs.
For Phil Wood, head chef at Saltine restaurant in Highbury, it’s a “longing for comfort”, as well as a return to print cookbooks and an increased focus on richness. The fruit is grown all over the world, particularly in Turkey, China and Uzbekistan, but it also has a strong presence in Britain, where it has been cultivated since the Middle Ages and was preserved in cider or baked and sprinkled with spices for banquets.
If you don’t have trees, go to a decent greengrocer. You can tell if the fruit is from the UK if it has a fuzzy coating (too much wax means it’s likely been preserved for shipping). It will take some time. As you know, quinces don’t like to be rushed. Boil about 1 kilogram of peeled and diced fruit in 3 tablespoons of honey, lemon juice and 250ml of water. The fruit is ready when it turns pink and smells like wood. The resulting mixture can be served with almost anything. My personal favorites are yogurt, granola, and toasted hazelnuts.
As always, the most appealing recipes are the ones that are cooked just for you. Below are the places where Quince is best known.
seed library
100 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JQ
Seed Library has all the hallmarks of a great cocktail bar: frosted glass, a basement vibe, sexy seating, and a charismatic staff. This is the typical setup from award-winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr. Ryan), who opened the space in 2022, following several other bars in London, the US and Europe.
But as is the case with Chetiyawardana, there are many unexpected things. Nuka, a boulevardier (Bourbon Negroni) with quince, is part of a series of cocktails in which the ingredients are taken through different “routes.” In the case of quince, that means seeing if the fruit can still taste good without being injected with lots of sugar.
The answer is, of course, “yes.” Chetiyawardana and his team have found a way, but only with “a little love, care and attention,” says Seed Library’s Adrian Ford-Beggs. Rather than boiling down the fruit, the fruit is fermented using a unique method in Japanese rice bran, giving it a drier, more mineral flavor. Add this to Maker’s Mark, aperitif mixes, and sunflower vermouth. The result is a Negroni that won’t twist your tongue. “It’s almost peppery in your mouth. It wakes up your palette,” Fordbeggs says. “Boulevardier tends to be a little too bitter or too sweet.[Quince]is a great addition to open up those flavors and enrich[the flavors]in a different way.” Hours: Wednesday-Thursday, 6 p.m.-1 a.m.; Friday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 5pm to midnight. Website; Directions
Saltine
11 Highbury Park, London N5 1QJ
“I’m really obsessed with quince this time of year,” says Saltine’s Phil Wood, who joined the restaurant when it opened two years ago after stints in Spring and St John Marylebone. “It’s the first beautiful scented thing you get before the citrus comes in.”
Saltine strikes a rare balance between homely and lofty. It’s a smart, atrium-like space with exposed brick walls and 1970s Lübke chairs. Our seasonal British and European menu has a pleasing twist. Roasted chicken and porcini mushrooms, rabbit and Habanada peppers, and peach and verbena sundaes. “We refuse to be exactly like any other restaurant. We want to do something different,” Wood says.
For quince season, Wood stayed true to his trusted blueprint by poaching quinces for two hours and pairing them with slow-cooked beef ribs. This is slathered with an “incredibly garlicky” quince aioli that somehow manages to feel both uplifting and indulgent. The bread side that wipes it all away is non-negotiable.
Quince is also on Wood’s dessert menu, served on a brandy-soaked baba (a small yeast cake usually soaked in rum) with a bed of Chantilly cream. All of these are the perfect foods for when “everyone starts taking off their coats,” Wood says. The cold dawn will soon feel a little better. Business hours: Tuesday to Friday, 5pm to 11pm. Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, noon to 9:30 p.m. Website; Directions
Saisen
9 Chance Street, London E2 7JB
Eating at the Michelin-starred Cycene is more than just a meal, it’s an entire experience. Each course takes guests through Blue Mountain School, a multidisciplinary art and retail space that includes a restaurant, as if they were exploring a person’s home. But while the concept is fun, the food is authentic. Ninety-five per cent of the produce is sourced from the UK, and head chef Taz Sirhane can tell you the name of the farm or vendor for every ingredient on the Steve Harrison-designed plates.
Mr Sirhane is a keen supporter of quinces and sources them from Ringden Farm in East Sussex. “It’s a wonderful ingredient that becomes more flavorful the more you cook it,” he says. This autumn, his nine-course tasting menu (£195) offers fruit three ways. The first is a soft drink made with quince rind and apple that tastes like a well-crafted cocktail. The second is a slice of pigeon pie studded with walnuts, green pepper and soft chunks of rosy fruit. “The quince gives the pie a subtle orchard fruit aroma and a bit of texture to loosen up the pigeons,” says Sarhane, who compares his creation to a pork pie. The gravy he serves with it is absolutely delicious.
For dessert, enjoy a quince tarte tatin that makes you wonder why you settle for apples and pears again. The quince gives the pudding an interesting woody aroma, and the soft fruit slices bring the color of an autumn sunset. Sarhane prefers slightly bitter tarts. It’s the perfect antidote to caramelized fruit and sugary butter. Business hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 6:15pm to 11pm (also open for lunch on Saturdays). Website; Directions
origin city
12 West Smithfield Street, London EC1A 9JR
With so many restaurants flocking to London, its origins are often overlooked. This smart dining room keeps it safe with white tablecloths and a neutral color palette, but the in-house salumeria and 600-acre Scottish farm help set it apart from the rest. Despite some healthy competition from nearby St. John, Bouchon-Racine and Luca, it’s nearly full during lunchtime and in the evening.
For executive chef Graham Chatham, pork is king. It’s also included in the homemade N’Duja butter, which is served to guests on arrival with freshly baked sourdough, and in the pork and game terrine with quince purée. “We don’t play around,” Chatham says. “You literally peel a quince, core it, add a little sugar (about 100g to 1kg) and boil it down. That’s quince in its purest form.”
It’s a good thing Chatham stays away from sugar. His terrine, with chunks of liver and round fat, is not for the faint of heart. The earthiness of the quince is necessary to even things out. The fruit serves a similar purpose in a main course with Chatham black pork and pickled bilberries, poached, roasted, and placed beneath slices of pink meat. “It gives you a nice balance without feeling greasy,” says Chatham.
Only serious eaters have room for dessert, so Chatham has devised a quince posset that can easily feed three. It is a more aromatic version of the cream-based dessert that is usually made with lemon. But in the fall, quinces “don’t hesitate,” Chatham said. Hours: Mondays, noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 6pm to 11pm. Sunday, 12:30pm to 4pm. Website; Directions; Book via OpenTable
Have you ever eaten at a restaurant in London that had an interesting twist on quince? And if you love cooking with it, do you have any tips or recipes to share? Let us know in the comments below. Follow @ftglobetrotter on Instagram
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