Few people have heard about the Perry pear or drank Perry, made from fermented pear juice. It’s a “curious drink for a slow world”, according to the slogan used by the Three Counties Perries Presidium to promote their product.  Perry was once all the rage in pre-Industrial England and its production is a traditional craft in the West Midlands.  The trees are slow to mature, living up to 200 years and the pears – small, hard and dry – are not for eating, but they produce a surprising amount of juice. Varieties of Perry pears have names such as Yellow Huffcap,  Teinton Squash, Blakeney Red and Merrylegs. The last one alludes to the effect of drinking Perry, which has a content of alcohol somewhere between beer and wine. With its fruity aroma it slips down easily.

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• Illustration by artist Jonathan Latimer