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Juicier and sweeter than an apple, pears are a delicious home-grown autumn fruit we shouldn’t forget – but which variety to choose?

William These well-flavoured, tubby pears look good served whole or halved, making them great for poaching or roasting, and their succulence makes them ideal for juicing. They bruise easily and go from ripe to past-it quickly, so use as soon as you can.

Conference The most commonly stocked variety, these long, speckled pears are the easiest to store and transport, but this doesn’t make for the juiciest or most fragrant. Good as an all-rounder but best used slightly under-ripe in salads, grated through a stuffing or made into a chutney.

Comice This late-season pear is the best ‘eater’ of the lot. In its prime, it’s juicy to the point of being messy to eat, with a nectar-sweet, floral flavour. Simply eat as is or use its juiciness to your advantage in a crumble or pie.

Concorde This cross-variety gets its slender shape from a conference and flavour from a comice. This is a good cooker that works well paired with pork, venison or autumnal game birds.