FRIENDS OF FALCON: ELLY PEAR

Elly Curshen, also known as Elly Pear after she founded Bristol’s The Pear Cafe, is a cookery tutor and author of the best-selling cookbook, Fast Days & Feast Days. She champions cooking from scratch and greener ways of eating, and was recently named one of the UK's top 20 Veggie Heroes.

We are delighted to have interviewed Elly in line with the launch of her brand new cookbook, Green. Read all about it and be sure to try her recipe from the book for Oat & Almond Crumble Mix with Tinned Pears and Ready Made Crumble, using Falcon Enamelware.

Elly, can you tell us about your background?

I grew up in South London and moved to Essex aged 10. I came to Bristol for uni and never left! I worked in hospitality since I was 17 and opened my cafe, The Pear Cafe (hence why I get called Elly Pear) in 2006. I closed it in 2018 to concentrate on writing and my third book, which is out now…

You have recently launched your new cookbook, Green, can you give us a synopsis?

Green is a book full of veggie and vegan recipes for ‘no fuss weeks and relaxed weekends’. That’s what it says on the front and it’s true! Loads and loads of dishes ready in 20 minutes or less; lots of stuff you can cook in batches and freeze, seasonal menus, brunch dishes.... basically all the stuff I like to cook and eat.

What’s your favourite dish from Green?

The one I’ve been cooking lots recently is the kimchi mixed grains with a crispy fried egg. It’s super quick, filling and delicious.

Do you have any tips for cooking en masse with Falcon this Spring/Summer?

Get a load of dips done in advance, serve in the small pudding basin size bowls (the 12cm bowls) and dot along the table, served with crackers and crudités in more bowls. It looks so pretty displayed like that.

If you could invite 8 dream dinner guests - who would they be and why?

Jeez, that’s a hard one! This is going to be a really random list. I’d like Michelle and Barack Obama there. Claudia Winkleman and Dermot O’Leary. Samin Nosrat, Lauren Laverne, Alan Carr and my boyfriend. What an image. There'd be good music and hysterical laughter.

Where are your favourite places to visit in the UK during the summer months and why?

National Trust properties with kitchen gardens, Cornish and Welsh beaches, London parks, pub gardens and Bristol harbourside. The UK is so brilliant in the summer, I can’t choose one place!

Can you name a place that feeds your imagination?

The city feeds my imagination. I find Bristol and London both endlessly inspiring.

Can you give any tips on the best places to eat, drink, source ingredients in London at the moment?

If you’ve not visited Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross, get down there! So many great places to eat.

What's the most important piece of advice you have been given?

Just crack on.

Almond and Oat Crumble Mix with Tinned Pears and Ready-made Custard

Ingredients

225g plain flour
50g ground almonds
25g jumbo oats
75g demerara sugar
75g light soft brown sugar
200g salted butter, chilled and diced, plus extra for greasing
1 x 410g tin of pear halves
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg, for sprinkling
2 tbsp raspberry jam (any berry flavour works well)
Ready-made custard, to serve

Method

For the crumble mix combine the flour, ground almonds, oats and sugars in a bowl. Add the butter to the bowl and rub it into the flour mixture until just crumbly and rough.

Freezing guidelines: Fill a freezer bag with the crumble mix and then flatten it out. Freeze the mix in a flat layer, rather than a ball that will freeze solid and be much harder to break a portion off from. It will keep fine for up to 3 months.

Reheating guidelines: There’s no need to defrost. Cook the crumble mix straight from frozen. Easy!

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7 and grease 2 ramekins or small ovenproof dishes (I use enamelware mugs) liberally with butter.

Drain the pear halves and roughly chop them into large chunks. Divide the pears between the greased ramekins or dishes. Sprinkle a little cinnamon or nutmeg over the fruit, then stir to mix well. Add 1 tablespoon of jam to the fruit in each dish. Scatter a handful of the frozen crumble mix over the top of each ramekin.

Sit the ramekins on a baking tray and place in the hot oven to bake for 20 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden.

Serve immediately with some warm ready-made custard.