Anna

Yes, it is a pear.

It has the shape, it has the colour, and for the most part it looks exactly the way you would expect a pear to look. But when it comes to flavour, Anna stands apart from many of our other varieties. Acidity plays a greater role here, rather than the pronounced sweetness we often associate with a perfectly ripe pear.

Anna is not one of our main commercial varieties, and that isn't really why we grow it either.

It has a much more important job to do.

Ingeborg is self-sterile and depends on pollen from another compatible pear variety to produce fruit. Anna is an excellent pollinator for it. So while it may not receive quite as much attention as the stars of the pear orchard, it is a very important member of the team.

No Anna, considerably less Ingeborg.

As a fresh-eating pear, we think it sits somewhat in the shadow of our sweeter varieties. But that fresher, more acidic character makes Anna particularly well suited to processing. Preserving, desserts and other culinary uses are where this pear can really come into its own.

Not everyone needs to be the star of the show.

Someone has to make sure there is a show in the first place.

- Important pollinator for Ingeborg
- Well suited to preserving, desserts and processing
- Fresh, more acidic flavour with less sweetness than many other pears
- Not the star of the pear orchard – but a very important member of the team