I wrote the following article for the quarterly magazine of the Northern Fruit Group. What’s the point of pears? They all look the same, they all taste the same and they don’t store well. This year, however, I was converted. I also found out that they do have a point – a historical one. My epiphany took place at the end of a cold rainy Dewhurst session – at the close of the Summer. (Dewhurst, for years now, has reliably provided good weather every Wednesday, irrespective of the forecast, the rest of the week, and what it’s doing on my, Hayfield, side of the Pennines.) This year it was different and we suffered on Wednesdays. So there I was, sitting in my car, engine on, heater on, mug of marmite in my hands, ready to drive away. My car boot was full of wet and claggy waterproofs and tools. Hilary approached, bearing gifts. I wound down the window. She handed me three pears. ‘Try those. Don’t keep them too long.