Serves 6-8

Topping

75g butter, softened

90g soft brown sugar

3 firm but ripe pears, I used Packham pears

6 pecan nuts or walnut halves

Gingerbread

115g plain flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon baking soda

a good pinch of salt

115g soft brown sugar

125ml milk, lightly soured with a good squeeze of lemon juice

75g butter, melted and cooled

⅓ cup golden syrup, treacle or organic brown rice syrup

1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line the base of a non-stick 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Make the topping,  beat together the butter and sugar until creamy then spread over the base of the tin. Halve each pear then using a teaspoon remove the core. Peel pears and replace core with a pecan nut or walnut. Place in the tin, cut-side-down.

Make the gingerbread, sift the flour, spices, baking soda and salt into bowl. Stir in the brown sugar. Mix together the milk, butter, golden syrup and egg. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour onto the pears. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Run a palette knife around the edge of the gingerbread before turning out onto a serving plate.  Serve warm.

Tip – if using organic brown rice syrup the gingerbread won’t be as sweet and the ginger will be less prevalent. Add a little chopped stem ginger in syrup or even finely grate a little fresh ginger into the liquid ingredients.