Leeks and Skyborry perry

One of the many appealing things about Birch in Bristol is that they have an extensive list of artisanal ciders. Which is maybe not so surprising given that they are intending to sell the restaurant and concentrate on making cider themselves.

I always feel I should reward the effort that goes into this list by ordering at least a glass when I go there and in fact it does go brilliantly well with their largely vegetarian menu which is based on produce that is grown on their allotment.

The dish that particularly stood out this time was a beautifully presented plate of baked leeks with hazelnut mayo and the perkiest, freshest chervil I’ve ever tasted but it was the sweet oniony taste of the leeks themselves that was the key to the match with a zanily labelled sparkling perry called Waiting for the Miracle (after the Leonard Cohen song). It's made by a Welsh producer called Skyborry out of Brandy and Winnals Langdon pears

The best wine - and other - pairings for leeks

Although perry is made from pears it doesn’t taste quite so obviously of the fruit as cider does of apples but is more like a light dry or off-dry white wine. This one was only 5%. It’s a really versatile partner for summer food so well worth looking out for when you’re in a good local restaurant or pub.

Some top food pairings for perry

Pork chops and perry

Sometimes you forget the most obvious food matches like the pairing of pork and perry we enjoyed over the weekend.

I cooked some pork chops with a dish of roast onions, apple, fennel and potatoes and served it with black pudding and cabbage. A quickly flung together family dinner but none the worse for that.

I would normally have used - and drunk - cider but what I had to hand was a bottle of 2009 Priggles Herefordshire perry from Dragon Orchard made from Blakeney Red pears. It was medium dry which I think worked better with pork than a totally dry perry would have done - and 7% which obviously helped to carry the other flavours on the plate. Simple, homely and delicious.

Good to know that Herefordshire now has a PGI (protected geographical indication) for its perry.

Apple tatin and sparkling perry

The surprise match of the natural wine dinner I went to last week at Bar Battu was not a wine but a perry - 'sydriculteur' Eric Bordelet's sparkling Poire Granit.

You'd have thought that such a light drink (it's only 3.5%) wouldn't stand up to such a sweet dessert - especially one served with a Calvados-flavoured crème fraîche but in fact it made a deliciously refreshing counterpoint after quite a rich main course of duck.

Apparently Bordelet, who used to be sommelier to three Michelin starred chef, Alain Passard and rather quaintly describes himself as a pomologue and a poirologue, often serves it with pan-fried scallops according to stockist The Smiling Grape Company which sells it for £18.99 (so not cheap). They reckon it would also work well with goat’s cheese.

Perry and a Ploughman's

I’ve been researching a big feature on perry over the last few days sothat's what this week's pairing had to be. And by that I don’t meanwhat is popularly called pear cider but a cider-like drink that is madewith real perry pears.

Like cider it comes in a range of different styles from dry to sweet but in general tends to be slightly more refined - more like a medium bodied white wine like a Chenin Blanc. You can also buy sparkling versions that have traditionally been served instead of Champagne in the UK (though, given the option, I must confess I prefer the real thing).

Last Saturday I went down to one of the local cider pubs in Bristol called The Apple which is housed on a boat and tried one of the perries they had on draught called Hecks. It was very appealing with a delicate pear flavour that went really well with the cheese-based Ploughman’s I ordered. Particularly with the blue cheese which I suppose makes sense if you think how good pears are with a blue.

I’ve also had a chance to taste a number of other perries thanks to a new Bristol-based business which trades as Cider Punk (for direct sales) and Cider Providers (for trade customers) and who brought me over some nice perries from Ross on Wye Cider and Perry at Broome Farm Ross-on-Wye to try. I particularly liked their new season Medium Still Perry and Blakeney Blend.

I love the idea that perry goes back centuries and that perry trees can last for over 200 years. It would be good to see such as historic drink more widely available.