Ingredients

• 110g/4oz self-raising flour
• pinch salt
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 75g/3oz oat flakes
• 175g/6oz golden syrup
• 50g/2oz black treacle
• 110g/4oz unsalted butter
• plus extra for greasing
• 110g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten
• 2 tsp whole milk
• 4 firm pears
• peeled
• cored and halved
• 500ml/18fl oz perry
• 150g/5oz caster sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 lemon
• peel only
• vanilla ice cream

Directions

• For the parkin
• preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1 and butter a 20cm/8in square cake tin.
• Sieve the flour
• a pinch of salt
• the ginger
• nutmeg and mixed spice together into a large bowl. Mix in the oat flakes.
• Put the syrup
• treacle
• butter and sugar into a small saucepan and melt over a gentle heat – bring up to a simmer but do not boil. When the butter and sugar have melted
• pour into the flour mixture and stir to combine.
• Mix in the beaten egg and milk to create a soft
• almost pouring consistency batter.
• Pour into the buttered tin and bake for 50 minutes
• or until firm in the centre.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before turning out and cutting into squares.
• For the poached pear
• place all the ingredients into a small saucepan so that the pears are all submerged in the liquid.
• Top with a piece of greaseproof paper cut into a circle to help keep the pears submerged.
• Bring to the boil
• then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until just tender – check with the tip of a knife to see if tender
• if not
• return to the heat and cook for another five minutes then check again.
• Remove the pears and set aside. Return the pan to the heat
• bring to a boil and reduce the poaching liquor by half
• or until it reaches a light syrup.
• To serve
• place a square of parkin on each plate with a pear alongside
• then spoon over the syrup. Finish with a scoop of ice cream.