The Owl and the Pussy Cat

According to Edward Lear

when 'the owl and the pussy cat went to sea … they dined on mince and slices of quince which they ate with a runcible spoon’

I have a quince tree – cydonia – at the bottom of my garden. It was given to me in 2006 by my sister-in-law as a result of a query I posed regarding the fruit of the ornamental variety of quince – chaenomeles. These are very attractive prickly shrubs, ideal to use as a hedge as they deter unwelcome visitors while at the same time hosting a glory of red, pink or white flowers depending on the variety, followed by golden fruits. I have two in the small front garden.

ornamental quince flowers

My query was, could the fruit of the ornamental quince be used in cooking in the same way that the fruit of the quince tree proper can? Nowhere could I find the answer until the panel of Gardeners’ Question Time in 2007 visited nearby Trevelyn College in Durham to record a programme. I attended with a friend and actually asked if the owl and the pussycat could have taken the fruit of the ornamental quince with them on their journey. To my delight the answer was yes, they may well have done!

None of the panel appeared to enjoy cooking the fruit, which resembles a dimpled apple, as it is extremely hard and takes quite a while to cook. However, it has a most delicious smell and they recommended adding it, whole, to bowls of pot pourri to help perfume a room. This I do regularly at Christmas time and it certainly does enhance the mouth-watering aromas of the festive season. A generous neighbour allows me to harvest her crop and I keep intending to make quince jelly (membrillo) or chutney and return her kindness by presenting her with a jar at Christmas but alas, the road to hell… Maybe this Christmas!

quince tree proper - cydonia - in leaf in April

 I have, however, made a most delicious apple and quince cake which appears in Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook. It mixes windfall apples and quince into a basic sponge mixture (substitute ground almonds for half of the quantity of flour). 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time 50g of flaked almonds is added to a mixture of 30g of melted butter and 25g of sugar, together with the juice and jest of one lemon. This is then spread over the top of the cake which is returned to the oven and cooked for a further 15 minutes. Delicious served with cream or ice cream.

My quince tree proper bore delicate, almost poppy-like flowers for the first time last year but no fruit appeared. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this season although April has been disappointing with its extremely cold, frosty  nights. It will be really interesting to compare the ornamental with the original variety for both appearance and taste, however, and I remain ever hopeful.

chaenomeles

What is a runcible spoon I wonder?